Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 18,736 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lessened its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 482,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 18,736 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned approximately 0.19% of Discover Financial Services worth $63,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 135.1% during the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,793 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,022,000 after purchasing an additional 4,478 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 238.7% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 14,783 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,662,000 after purchasing an additional 10,418 shares in the last quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 57.6% during the 4th quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 25,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,855,000 after purchasing an additional 9,287 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $983,000. Finally, Brave Warrior Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 2,633,167 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $295,968,000 after purchasing an additional 251,909 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 1.0 %

DFS stock opened at $142.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Discover Financial Services has a twelve month low of $79.04 and a twelve month high of $147.61. The business has a fifty day moving average of $134.78 and a 200-day moving average of $128.63. The company has a market cap of $35.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.25, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.42.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $6.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $3.00. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 20.92% and a net margin of 12.88%. The business had revenue of $4.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.54 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 12.87 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 31.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DFS. BTIG Research began coverage on Discover Financial Services in a report on Friday, June 7th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Discover Financial Services in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $132.94.

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; 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.