Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Receives $138.81 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $138.81.

Several research firms recently commented on DFS. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th.

Discover Financial Services Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $176.02 on Wednesday. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $84.03 and a 12-month high of $188.26. The business has a 50 day moving average of $146.95 and a 200-day moving average of $135.58. 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 stock has a market cap of $44.19 billion, a PE ratio of 14.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.41.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.60%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the second quarter worth $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its position in 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

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.