SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 4,755 Shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) by 41.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,616 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,755 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Deluxe were worth $149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Deluxe during the third quarter worth $32,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Deluxe in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Deluxe by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 2,770.0% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 6,314 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 6,094 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Deluxe in the third quarter valued at approximately $262,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deluxe Stock Up 0.8 %

DLX opened at $19.02 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $22.52 and its 200 day moving average is $21.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.98. Deluxe Co. has a fifty-two week low of $18.38 and a fifty-two week high of $24.87. The stock has a market cap of $841.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.52.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by ($0.05). Deluxe had a return on equity of 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Deluxe Co. will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.31%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 2,290 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $23.57 per share, for a total transaction of $53,975.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 180,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,265,227.20. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

About Deluxe

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.