Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV trimmed its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 27.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 776,475 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 298,490 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.31% of Discover Financial Services worth $108,932,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted 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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DFS traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $173.68. 774,959 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,677,690. The company has a market cap of $43.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $146.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.31. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $84.00 and a 52 week high of $188.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 21.38%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.59 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DFS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.