Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Acquired by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 2.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 14,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $1,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 147.8% during the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 72.5% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:DFS opened at $176.02 on Friday. Discover Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $84.03 and a fifty-two week high of $188.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.19 billion, a PE ratio of 14.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $146.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.58.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.59 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is presently 22.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DFS. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.81.

Discover Financial Services Company 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.