Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Purchased by Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.

Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 63.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,774 shares during the quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $795,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 8,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association lifted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 9,772 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,693,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the period. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $359,000. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $287,000. Finally, Corebridge Financial Inc. increased its stake in Discover Financial Services by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc. now owns 63,624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,022,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DFS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $262.00 to $219.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $192.40.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of DFS opened at $162.91 on Friday. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $119.31 and a 1 year high of $205.76. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $184.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.58. The company has a market capitalization of $40.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.21, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 17.54%.

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.