Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $138.81.

Several equities analysts recently commented on DFS shares. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Barclays increased their target price on Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on 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.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

DFS stock traded down $2.65 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $175.12. 1,108,510 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,678,046. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $43.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.32, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.41. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $145.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.04. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $84.00 and a 12 month high of $188.26.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.60%. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.60%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DFS. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Discover Financial Services by 0.5% during the third quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,501 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,034,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 27.4% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Inlet Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Inlet Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 17,664 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,478,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 24.4% during the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 387 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.