Bruni J V & Co. Co. Has $51.80 Million Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Bruni J V & Co. Co. trimmed its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 369,257 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,728 shares during the quarter. Discover Financial Services makes up about 5.8% of Bruni J V & Co. Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Bruni J V & Co. Co. owned about 0.15% of Discover Financial Services worth $51,803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DFS. National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 14.8% during the third 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. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 135.1% during the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,793 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,022,000 after purchasing an additional 4,478 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the first quarter valued at $983,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the second quarter valued at $4,835,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter valued at $2,415,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DFS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $138.81.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE DFS traded down $0.68 on Tuesday, hitting $172.54. 1,225,715 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,682,864. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.41. Discover Financial Services has a twelve month low of $85.19 and a twelve month high of $188.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company's 50 day moving average price is $149.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.74.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. Analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio is 22.60%.

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.