Candriam S.C.A. Has $15.57 Million Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Candriam S.C.A. decreased its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 19.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 89,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 22,200 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $15,566,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 78.1% during 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. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Down 4.9 %

Shares of NYSE DFS opened at $172.10 on Friday. Discover Financial Services has a 52-week low of $119.31 and a 52-week high of $205.76. 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 stock has a market cap of $43.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $189.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.66.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. Analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on DFS. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $233.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays raised their target price on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.91.

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.