LSV Asset Management Has $221.67 Million Stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

LSV Asset Management decreased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 6.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,690,949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 121,500 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $221,667,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DFS. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 0.1 %

DFS traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $131.34. The stock had a trading volume of 756,382 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,833,422. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.44. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $79.04 and a 1-year high of $133.78.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.98 by ($1.88). The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.07 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 10.56%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.58 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 11.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd were issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $123.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. HSBC upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $107.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $120.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.78.

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; 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.