WINTON GROUP Ltd Cuts Stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

WINTON GROUP Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 86 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $1,312,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DFS. Mint Tower Capital Management B.V. increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 354.2% in the 4th quarter. Mint Tower Capital Management B.V. now owns 12,708 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,201,000 after acquiring an additional 17,708 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 395,378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $69,610,000 after purchasing an additional 30,624 shares in the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 249,587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,236,000 after purchasing an additional 34,381 shares during the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth about $449,000. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 4,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $795,000 after buying an additional 1,774 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DFS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $262.00 to $219.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $192.40.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

DFS stock opened at $162.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $40.99 billion, a PE ratio of 10.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $119.31 and a 12 month high of $205.76. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $184.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

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

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.54%.

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.