55,867 Shares in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Purchased by LMR Partners LLP

LMR Partners LLP bought a new position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 55,867 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,838,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 506.5% in the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% during the second 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 last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DFS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased 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. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $138.81.

Discover Financial Services Stock Down 1.6 %

DFS traded down $2.81 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $173.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 508,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,682,324. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $85.19 and a 1 year high of $188.26. The stock's 50-day moving average is $147.90 and its 200-day moving average is $136.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.23 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.60%.

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.