Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Stock Price Up 4.6%

Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) rose 4.6% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $131.09 and last traded at $129.43. Approximately 1,019,969 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 1,870,084 shares. The stock had previously closed at $123.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DFS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. HSBC boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $107.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. BTIG Research started coverage on Discover Financial Services in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.29.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $32.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.77.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.98 by ($1.88). The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.07 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 17.07%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.58 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 11.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 22nd. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 31.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 3.1% during the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,888 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Team Hewins LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 5.5% during the first quarter. Team Hewins LLC now owns 1,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 0.8% during the first quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,382 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,885,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 6,397 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $719,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.