Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Bought by Samlyn Capital LLC

Samlyn Capital LLC raised its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 368.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 646,691 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 508,504 shares during the quarter. Discover Financial Services comprises approximately 1.4% of Samlyn Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Samlyn Capital LLC owned about 0.26% of Discover Financial Services worth $84,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 147.8% during the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 72.5% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the first quarter worth about $34,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight 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 a consensus price target of $132.94.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Discover Financial Services stock opened at $140.18 on Tuesday. Discover Financial Services has a 52-week low of $79.04 and a 52-week high of $147.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $134.84 and a 200-day moving average of $128.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.98, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.42. 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 (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $3.00. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.92%. The company had revenue of $4.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.54 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 12.87 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.93%.

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.