Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 86,723 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $15,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DFS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $186.46.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $196.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.09. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $109.50 and a 1 year high of $205.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.46. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $160.38.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%. Equities analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a 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%.

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.