Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by Dana Investment Advisors Inc.

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 19.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,719 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 10,906 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $7,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Pension Service grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 439,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $61,693,000 after purchasing an additional 56,814 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 10.5% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 115,487 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $16,202,000 after acquiring an additional 10,946 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth about $282,000. Meyer Handelman Co. purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,415,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DFS traded down $5.29 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $167.38. The stock had a trading volume of 5,501,037 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,355,878. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $189.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.10. The company has a market capitalization of $42.11 billion, a PE ratio of 10.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $119.31 and a 1 year high of $205.76.

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Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DFS. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $233.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $191.91.

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.