Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Decreases Stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lessened its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,669 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 297 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $975,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $861,000. Busey Bank lifted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 95,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,476,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 66,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,451,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $132,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DFS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $182.64.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:DFS opened at $201.09 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $50.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.60, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $181.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.02. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $104.08 and a 12-month high of $205.76.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%. Equities analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.39 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.54%.

Discover Financial Services 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.