When Should You Buy Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX)?

Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the NYSE. Less-covered, small caps sees more of an opportunity for mispricing due to the lack of information available to the public, which can be a good thing. So, could the stock still be trading at a low price relative to its actual value? Let’s examine Deluxe’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

See our latest analysis for Deluxe

What Is Deluxe Worth?

According to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average, the stock price seems to be justfied. I’ve used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there’s not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock’s ratio of 27.86x is currently trading in-line with its industry peers’ ratio, which means if you buy Deluxe today, you’d be paying a relatively sensible price for it. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that Deluxe’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us an opportunity to buy later on. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

What does the future of Deluxe look like?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. Deluxe's earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 61%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? DLX’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at DLX? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on DLX, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for DLX, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. Our analysis shows 4 warning signs for Deluxe (1 shouldn't be ignored!) and we strongly recommend you look at them before investing.

If you are no longer interested in Deluxe, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.