Burney Co. Lowers Stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Burney Co. trimmed its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 187,268 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,422 shares during the period. Discover Financial Services accounts for approximately 1.1% of Burney Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Burney Co. owned about 0.07% of Discover Financial Services worth $32,440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 14.8% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised 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 valued at $16,202,000 after acquiring an additional 10,946 shares during the period. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the second quarter valued at about $4,835,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the third quarter worth about $2,415,000. Finally, Versor Investments LP grew its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 21.5% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 75,963 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,657,000 after purchasing an additional 13,427 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Trading Up 3.7 %

Shares of DFS traded up $6.65 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $187.49. The stock had a trading volume of 1,203,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,254,086. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $96.46 and a 1 year high of $188.99. 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's 50 day moving average is $176.40 and its 200 day moving average is $151.42. The firm has a market cap of $47.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.46.

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 (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 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on DFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Discover Financial Services from $150.00 to $146.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target 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. UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.75.

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.