Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Stock Holdings Lifted by Easterly Investment Partners LLC

Easterly Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 2,106.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,748 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 33,173 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $4,875,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Elser Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $91,044,000. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $71,693,000. Samlyn Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 368.0% in the second quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 646,691 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $84,594,000 after buying an additional 508,504 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $62,829,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 430.5% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 443,707 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $54,752,000 after buying an additional 360,074 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of DFS stock traded up $0.21 on Friday, hitting $175.21. The stock had a trading volume of 3,300,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,677,276. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.41. The stock's 50 day moving average is $143.69 and its 200-day moving average is $134.22. 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 52-week low of $82.15 and a 52-week high of $188.26.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on DFS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $138.81.

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.