Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) in a research report report published on Sunday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on DFS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. BTIG Research started coverage on Discover Financial Services in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target 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. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $132.94.

Discover Financial Services Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of DFS opened at $135.08 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 52-week low of $79.04 and a 52-week high of $147.61. The company has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a fifty day moving average of $133.92 and a 200 day moving average of $127.51.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $4.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.18 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.92%. The business’s revenue was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.54 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 12.75 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.93%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. 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.