StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) in a research note issued on Friday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

DFS has been the topic of several other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of 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. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Thirteen 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $133.88.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

NYSE DFS opened at $141.74 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $134.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.13. Discover Financial Services has a twelve month low of $79.04 and a twelve month high of $147.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.55 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $4.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.18 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 20.92% and a net margin of 12.88%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.54 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 12.88 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 147.8% in 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 last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

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.