Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV reduced its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,347 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,308 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $1,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in Discover Financial Services by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of DFS stock opened at $194.21 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $186.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $205.76. The company has a market cap of $48.81 billion, a PE ratio of 12.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.46.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. Equities analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is 17.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DFS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group raised Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $191.91.

About Discover Financial Services

Discover Financial Services, through its subsidiaries, provides digital banking products and services, and payment services in the United States. It operates in two segments, Digital Banking and Payment Services. The Digital Banking segment offers Discover-branded credit cards to individuals; personal loans, home loans, and other consumer lending; and direct-to-consumer deposit products comprising savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, IRA certificates of deposit, IRA savings accounts and checking accounts, and sweep accounts.