Will Celero Founder Kevin Jones Leading Merchant Services Change Deluxe's (DLX) Payments Narrative?

• Earlier this month, Deluxe Corporation appointed Kevin Jones, founder of Celero Commerce, as President of its Merchant Services division after acquiring Celero, which processes more than US$28 billion in payments annually for 175 banking partners and 55,000 small business customers.
• This move brings Jones’ payments-building pedigree into Deluxe just as the Celero acquisition helps position Deluxe Merchant Services as a top-10 non-bank merchant acquirer, potentially reshaping the company’s payments profile.
• Next, we’ll examine how placing Celero founder Kevin Jones in charge of Merchant Services could influence Deluxe’s evolving investment narrative.

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Deluxe Investment Narrative Recap

To own Deluxe, you need to believe its shift from legacy print to higher value payments and data can offset secular print declines and support earnings growth. The Kevin Jones appointment and Celero deal reinforce Merchant Services as a key near term catalyst by strengthening Deluxe’s position as a top 10 non bank merchant acquirer, while the biggest risk remains the pace at which new payments and data revenue can counter ongoing print contraction.

Among recent developments, the May 2026 partnership with Dollar Bank looks especially relevant here, as it shows how Deluxe is using its cloud payments infrastructure to deepen relationships with regional financial institutions. Combined with the Celero acquisition and Jones’ leadership, these alliances highlight how Merchant Services could become a more central earnings driver in the years ahead, even as print remains a drag on the overall mix.

Yet even with this progress, investors should be aware that growing payments may not fully offset the secular decline in print if...

Read the full narrative on Deluxe (it's free!)

Deluxe's narrative projects $1.9 billion revenue and $186.7 million earnings by 2029. This implies a 3.4% yearly revenue decline and a $82.8 million earnings increase from $103.9 million today.

Uncover how Deluxe's forecasts yield a $32.67 fair value, a 37% upside to its current price.

Exploring Other Perspectives

The lowest estimate analysts were assuming Deluxe’s revenue could fall about 3.2% a year even as earnings climbed toward roughly US$169.5 million by 2029, which is a far more cautious view than the consensus and could shift again as the Celero acquisition and Kevin Jones’ appointment play through Merchant Services growth.

Explore 3 other fair value estimates on Deluxe - why the stock might be worth over 5x more than the current price!

The Verdict Is Yours

Disagree with existing narratives? Extraordinary investment returns rarely come from following the herd, so go with your instincts.

• A great starting point for your Deluxe research is our analysis highlighting 6 key rewards and 1 important warning sign that could impact your investment decision.
• Our free Deluxe research report provides a comprehensive fundamental analysis summarized in a single visual - the Snowflake - making it easy to evaluate Deluxe's overall financial health at a glance.

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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.

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