5,273 Shares in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Acquired by Sage Investment Counsel LLC

Sage Investment Counsel LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 5,273 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $913,000. Discover Financial Services comprises about 1.2% of Sage Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Pension Service boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 439,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,693,000 after purchasing an additional 56,814 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 115,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,202,000 after purchasing an additional 10,946 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at $282,000. Meyer Handelman Co. bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,415,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Discover Financial Services stock opened at $195.38 on Friday. 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 has a 52 week low of $118.74 and a 52 week high of $205.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.46. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $188.81 and a 200-day moving average of $165.25.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 EPS 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 expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued 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 1.43%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is presently 17.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report 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 company from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.91.

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.