Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Makes New Investment in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 2,578 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $449,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in 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 approximately $30,000. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Down 0.2 %

DFS stock opened at $169.86 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $42.74 billion, a PE ratio of 10.64, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $119.31 and a 1 year high of $205.76. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $185.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.65.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $262.00 to $219.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $192.40.

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; 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.