Foster & Motley Inc. Sells 5,083 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Foster & Motley Inc. decreased its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 26.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,783 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,083 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $2,388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% in the third 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 period. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in Discover Financial Services by 78.1% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

NYSE DFS opened at $202.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.87 billion, a PE ratio of 12.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.46. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.15. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $104.08 and a 1-year high of $205.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 27.52% and a net margin of 17.29%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 12.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on DFS. UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.64.

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.