Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Purchased by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% during the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 72.5% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% in the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

NYSE:DFS opened at $148.69 on Friday. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $79.04 and a 12 month high of $152.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.29 billion, a PE ratio of 16.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $137.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.02.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 20.92% and a net margin of 12.88%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 31.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on DFS shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “market 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 report on Monday, July 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Discover Financial Services presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $136.12.

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.