Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. Acquires 1,908 Shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) by 159.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,106 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,908 shares during the period. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in Deluxe were worth $67,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DLX. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Deluxe during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,739,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Deluxe by 81.3% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 462,075 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,013,000 after acquiring an additional 207,221 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Deluxe by 17.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,262,186 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $20,194,000 after acquiring an additional 188,788 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Deluxe by 222.1% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 248,468 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,135,000 after purchasing an additional 171,327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in Deluxe by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,228,883 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $126,361,000 after purchasing an additional 143,372 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Deluxe

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 2,666 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $19.25 per share, with a total value of $51,320.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 173,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,338,142.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 4.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Deluxe Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DLX traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $20.30. 16,055 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 216,756. Deluxe Co. has a one year low of $13.61 and a one year high of $21.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.49. The business’s fifty day moving average is $19.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.28. The stock has a market cap of $890.16 million, a PE ratio of 34.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.47.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The business services provider reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.05. Deluxe had a net margin of 1.20% and a return on equity of 21.53%. The company had revenue of $537.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.80 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. Deluxe’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Deluxe Co. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.91%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio is presently 203.39%.

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.