Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by Valeo Financial Advisors LLC

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lowered its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,498 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 153 shares during the quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in 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 last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 27.4% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 3.2 %

DFS opened at $196.14 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 company has a market cap of $49.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.46. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $109.50 and a one year high of $205.76. The business’s fifty day moving average is $184.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.98.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on DFS shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of 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. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $186.46.

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.