Montag A & Associates Inc. Has $1.82 Million Stock Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 472.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,653 shares during the quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $1,816,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Pension Service raised its position in Discover Financial Services by 14.8% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 439,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $61,693,000 after acquiring an additional 56,814 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 10.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 10,946 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Meyer Handelman Co. bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,415,000. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

DFS traded up $7.06 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $203.34. 1,860,502 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,626,959. Discover Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $118.74 and a fifty-two week 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $186.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.17. The company has a market capitalization of $51.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.74, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.46.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. As a group, analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Discover Financial Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $186.46.

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.