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

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

A number of research firms have commented on DFS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its stake in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its position in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $176.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $96.46 and a 12-month high of $188.26. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $164.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $143.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.59 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.43 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

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

About Discover Financial Services

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.