Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 38,667 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,363 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $4,346,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $160,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the period. National Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $466,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $210,000. Finally, GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. boosted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 153.4% during the fourth quarter. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. now owns 61,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,892,000 after buying an additional 37,114 shares during the period. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DFS shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Discover Financial Services in a research report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $117.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $139.00 to $121.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $126.29.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $127.70 on Friday. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $79.04 and a one year high of $131.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $123.80 and a 200-day moving average of $107.27. The company has a market capitalization of $32.00 billion, a PE ratio of 14.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 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 1.05.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($1.88). The business had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.07 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 16.74%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.58 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 11.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 31.93%.

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; 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.