Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Buys 5,538 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,540 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,538 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $17,205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 86.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Trading Up 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE DFS opened at $196.14 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $184.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.75. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $109.50 and a 1-year high of $205.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.46.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is presently 17.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target 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. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.46.

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.