Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $149.57.

A number of research firms have weighed in on DFS. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 506.5% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 0.2 %

Discover Financial Services stock opened at $176.00 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $164.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market cap of $44.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $96.46 and a 52 week high of $188.26.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 21.38%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.60%.

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.