Versant Capital Management Inc Has $223,000 Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 56.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its position 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its stake in Discover Financial Services by 37.1% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE DFS opened at $176.06 on Friday. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $96.46 and a 12-month high of $188.26. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $172.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $148.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $44.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.45.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 21.38%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.59 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on DFS shares. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $151.36.

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; 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.