60,721 Shares in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Bought by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 60,721 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,825,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $322,199,000. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 239.6% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 2,027,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $227,912,000 after purchasing an additional 1,430,637 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth $121,113,000. Palestra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 3rd quarter worth $81,865,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 336.5% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,133,784 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $98,220,000 after buying an additional 874,020 shares during the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

DFS stock opened at $126.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $31.81 billion, a PE ratio of 14.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $124.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.43. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $79.04 and a 1-year high of $131.65.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($1.88). Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 10.56%. The business had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on DFS. Barclays boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $117.00) on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn cut Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $126.29.

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; private student loans, 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.