Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Thursday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on DFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $150.00 to $146.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays raised shares of Discover Financial Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $137.00 to $186.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group raised shares of Discover Financial Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $164.75.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of DFS stock traded down $2.50 on Thursday, hitting $185.04. 1,591,784 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,287,948. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.46. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $176.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.67. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $96.46 and a one year high of $188.99.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 22.08% and a net margin of 13.78%. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.59 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 14.17 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Discover Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its position in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 37.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 292 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.