Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by Diametric Capital LP

Diametric Capital LP decreased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 54.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,937 shares during the quarter. Discover Financial Services makes up about 1.2% of Diametric Capital LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Diametric Capital LP’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $1,705,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Bfsg LLC purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DFS opened at $170.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $184.07 and a 200 day moving average of $170.62. The firm has a market cap of $43.00 billion, a PE ratio of 10.71, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $119.31 and a one year high of $205.76.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 EPS 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.64%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on DFS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Discover Financial Services has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $192.40.

Discover Financial Services Profile

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.