Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on DFS. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on 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. UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $150.00 to $146.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $164.75.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of Discover Financial Services stock opened at $187.17 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $176.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.46. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $96.46 and a 1-year high of $189.27.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 22.08%. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.59 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 14.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DFS. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% in the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 37.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Discover Financial Services

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.