Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Rating Increased to Overweight at Barclays

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) was upgraded by equities researchers at Barclays from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report released on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $186.00 target price on the financial services provider's stock, up from their previous target price of $137.00. Barclays's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 3.97% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on DFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $154.86.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

NYSE:DFS traded up $2.83 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $178.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,174,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 909,173. The stock has a market cap of $44.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.46. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.08. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $96.46 and a 12-month high of $188.26.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. The company 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 last year, the firm posted $2.59 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 506.5% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the third quarter worth $30,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its position in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% during the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 37.1% in the third 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 period. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Discover Financial Services

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.