Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $4.90 Million Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 27.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 34,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,505 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $4,896,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Elser Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $91,044,000. Samlyn Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 368.0% during the second quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 646,691 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $84,594,000 after purchasing an additional 508,504 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 1,272.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 265,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,199,000 after purchasing an additional 245,829 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 67.1% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 478,599 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,606,000 after buying an additional 192,142 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the third quarter worth about $21,169,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of DFS opened at $182.59 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $154.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.66. The company has a market cap of $45.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.74, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.41. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $85.19 and a 1-year high of $188.26.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.34 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.