Candriam S.C.A. Sells 22,200 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Candriam S.C.A. cut its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 19.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 22,200 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $15,566,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 9,248 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,602,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 6,158 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Invst LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 0.9% in the third quarter. Invst LLC now owns 7,253 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,018,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 3.2% during the third quarter. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. now owns 2,047 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. 86.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Discover Financial Services Price Performance

DFS stock traded down $5.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $167.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,501,037 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,355,878. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $119.31 and a 1 year high of $205.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $42.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. The company's fifty day moving average is $189.03 and its 200-day moving average is $167.33.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%. On average, research analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on DFS shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $191.91.

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.