Avior Wealth Management LLC Increases Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 31.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,899 shares during the quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $891,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,604,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 29,267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,290,000 after acquiring an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 10,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,200,000 after acquiring an additional 1,568 shares in the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 214.1% during the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 8,312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 5,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $872,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Discover Financial Services stock opened at $119.93 on Thursday. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $79.04 and a 1 year high of $131.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $121.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.53. The company has a market cap of $30.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.66, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.03 by ($1.93). Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 22.24%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.58 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 11.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Discover Financial Services news, CFO John Greene sold 35,191 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.51, for a total transaction of $3,748,193.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,592 shares in the company, valued at $1,980,233.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on DFS. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $116.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $139.00 to $121.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 19th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $107.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $127.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $117.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.22.

About Discover Financial Services

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; private student loans, 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.