Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Has $16.33 Million Stock Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 1,747.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 116,400 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 110,100 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund's holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $16,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Discover Financial Services in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% during the 2nd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 348.2% in the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DFS traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $182.43. 577,901 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,675,969. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $89.58 and a 12 month high of $188.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $156.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.67. The firm has a market cap of $45.80 billion, a PE ratio of 14.72, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.41.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 21.38%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.59 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given 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 yield of 1.53%. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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