CoreFirst Bank & Trust Buys Shares of 2,071 Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,071 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $359,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 78.1% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Discover Financial Services stock traded down $4.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $158.23. 1,303,675 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,505,440. The firm has a market cap of $39.81 billion, a PE ratio of 9.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $184.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $170.03. Discover Financial Services has a twelve month low of $119.31 and a twelve month high of $205.76.

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Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on DFS shares. Barclays upped their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $192.40.

About Discover Financial Services

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.