Deluxe Corp (NYSE: DLX)

Sector: Industrials Industry: Conglomerates CIK: 0000027996
Market Cap 1.37 Bn
P/B 5.53
P/E 9.02
P/S 0.97
ROIC (Qtr) 6.17
Div Yield % 4.89
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 2.81
Total Debt (Qtr) 1.47 Bn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 2.16
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About

Deluxe Corporation (DLX) is a company with a rich history spanning over 105 years, providing payment solutions and other services. It operates in four key segments: Payments, Treasury Management, Data Solutions, and Promotional Solutions, each catering to different markets and customer bases. The Payments segment, contributing 20.5% of Deluxe's consolidated revenue, offers electronic credit and debit card authorization and payment systems, as well as processing services. These services are primarily for small and medium-sized retail and service...

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Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Healthy cash reserves of 36.90M provide 2.26x coverage of short-term debt 16.30M, demonstrating strong liquidity position and minimal refinancing risk.
  • Operating cash flow of 270.60M provides strong 10.87x coverage of stock compensation 24.90M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Operating cash flow of 270.60M provides exceptional 2706x coverage of minority interest expenses 100000, showing strong core operations.
  • Robust free cash flow of 175.30M exceeds capital expenditure of 95.30M by 1.84x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Operating cash flow of 270.60M fully covers other non-current liabilities 86.80M by 3.12x, showing strong long-term stability.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 270.60M barely covers its investment activities of (131.70M), with a coverage ratio of -2.05, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 270.60M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (55.20M) with a -4.90 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Cash reserves of 36.90M provide limited coverage of acquisition spending of (10.10M), which is -3.65x, suggesting aggressive expansion might strain liquidity if market conditions deteriorate.
  • High receivables of 218.40M relative to inventory of 33.50M (6.52 ratio) suggests aggressive credit terms or collection difficulties, potentially masking revenue quality issues.
  • Operating earnings of 241M show weak coverage of depreciation charges of 153.30M, with a 1.57 ratio indicating high capital intensity and potential reinvestment needs.

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Peer comparison

Companies in the Conglomerates
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 HON Honeywell International Inc 155.07 Bn 32.79 4.14 34.58 Bn
2 MMM 3M Co 100.16 Bn 20.62 3.16 12.60 Bn
3 VMI Valmont Industries Inc 11.52 Bn 79.14 5.93 0.86 Bn
4 SEB Seaboard Corp /De/ 4.74 Bn 9.55 0.49 1.82 Bn
5 MDU Mdu Resources Group Inc 3.80 Bn 15.84 0.97 2.35 Bn
6 OTTR Otter Tail Corp 3.60 Bn 20.35 3.01 1.04 Bn
7 BBU Brookfield Business Partners L.P. 2.64 Bn -19.71 0.10 43.31 Bn
8 TTI Tetra Technologies Inc 1.44 Bn 11.77 2.33 0.21 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 0.74 1.07
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 9.54 26.27
EV to Debt EV to Debt 1.43 3.17
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 7.75 28.37
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 5.88 2.98
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 11.81 24.12
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.54 2.07
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 1.49 3.10
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 5.53 0.16
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 9.02 -51.36
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 1.49 2.51
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 65.60 16.94
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 1.20 1.03
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 30.81 -1.97
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 1.98 4.08
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -1.06 -245.15
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 7.27 116.15
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 0.00 -1.11
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 20.47 233.90
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 3.07 6.29
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 20.68 58.90
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 55.76 -70.32
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 52.50 179.10
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 75.30 22.76
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 0.37 19.56
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.74 0.64
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.15 -0.01
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 0.06 0.34
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 1.04 1.70
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 2.16 -5.62
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 1.98 4.08
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 1.98 4.08
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 18.50 -14.03
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 11.30 -16.67
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 5.58 -20.17
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 53.00 21.90
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 3.80 -21.67