Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Bought by Capital International Inc. CA

Capital International Inc. CA grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 20.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,747 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,363 shares during the period. Capital International Inc. CA’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $8,094,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of DFS. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $236,000. Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in Discover Financial Services by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 2,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth about $242,000. Advisor Resource Council acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in Discover Financial Services by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 339,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,184,000 after purchasing an additional 72,452 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on DFS. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. BTIG Research began coverage on Discover Financial Services in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on 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. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $131.33.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

NYSE:DFS traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $142.29. 827,830 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,825,082. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $79.04 and a one year high of $147.61. The company has a market capitalization of $35.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $128.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $6.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $3.00. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 20.53% and a net margin of 12.88%. The firm had revenue of $4.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.54 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 12.23 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 31.93%.

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; private student loans, 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.