O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 112,723 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 69.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,667 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 112,723 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $8,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 4,769 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter valued at about $500,000. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 2.5% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 57,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,053,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Atom Investors LP boosted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 69.5% in the third quarter. Atom Investors LP now owns 3,489 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $489,000 after acquiring an additional 1,430 shares during the period. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Trading Up 7.7 %

DFS stock opened at $170.90 on Tuesday. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $119.31 and a one year high of $205.76. The company has a market capitalization of $43.00 billion, a PE ratio of 10.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $184.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $170.62. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. As a group, analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of 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. Barclays lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. 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 currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $192.40.

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.