Equitec Proprietary Markets LLC Takes $173,000 Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Equitec Proprietary Markets LLC bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $173,000. Discover Financial Services accounts for 0.2% of Equitec Proprietary Markets LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE:DFS opened at $199.73 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.19 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $183.23 and its 200 day moving average is $159.09. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $106.65 and a 12 month high of $205.76.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. Sell-side analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 17.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DFS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $233.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $186.46.

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.