Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) had its price target upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $160.00 to $185.00 in a research report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the financial services provider's stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on DFS. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $151.36.

Discover Financial Services Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Discover Financial Services stock traded up $1.86 during trading on Friday, hitting $176.06. The stock had a trading volume of 685,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 776,494. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $96.46 and a 12 month 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. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $172.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.32. The stock has a market cap of $44.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.21, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.45.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. Discover Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 37.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 292 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

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.