Squarepoint Ops LLC Sells 18,528 Shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Squarepoint Ops LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) by 50.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,046 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 18,528 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in Deluxe were worth $408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DLX. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Deluxe by 93.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Deluxe by 63.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Deluxe by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,084 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,239 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Deluxe during the fourth quarter valued at $181,000. Finally, New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC bought a new position in Deluxe during the fourth quarter valued at $204,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deluxe Price Performance

NYSE:DLX traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $14.87. 280,082 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 299,842. The business's 50-day moving average price is $14.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.51. The company has a market cap of $665.24 million, a PE ratio of 12.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.51. Deluxe Co. has a 12-month low of $13.61 and a 12-month high of $24.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $536.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $525.43 million. Deluxe had a net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 21.33%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.07%. Deluxe's payout ratio is currently 96.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Deluxe from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. TD Securities cut their price target on Deluxe from $33.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.45 per share, with a total value of $64,582.70. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 272,851 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,488,398.95. The trade was a 1.46% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

Deluxe Company Profile

Deluxe Corporation provides technology-enabled solutions to enterprises, small businesses, and financial institutions in the United States, Canada, and Australia. It operates through Merchant Services, B2B Payments, Data Solutions, and Print segments. The Merchant Services offers credit and debit card authorization and payment systems, as well as processing services primarily to small and medium-sized retail and service businesses.