B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Makes New $3.75 Million Investment in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 26,719 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,748,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its position in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Discover Financial Services by 348.2% during the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

NYSE:DFS traded up $2.14 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $174.91. 1,904,756 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,685,109. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $150.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.99. Discover Financial Services has a 52-week low of $85.19 and a 52-week high of $188.26. The company has a market cap of $43.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. Discover Financial Services's payout ratio is presently 22.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on DFS shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.81.

Discover Financial Services Company 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.