Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Sells 2,648 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 5.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,648 shares during the quarter. Discover Financial Services comprises approximately 0.6% of Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $6,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Aspiriant LLC bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the first quarter worth $214,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 10.9% in the first quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 16,653 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Virginia VA bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the first quarter worth $223,000. Vicus Capital bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the first quarter worth $224,000. Finally, River Street Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 1.4% in the first quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 9,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 1.4 %

DFS stock opened at $143.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.12. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $138.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.46. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $79.04 and a 52 week high of $152.90. The company has a market capitalization of $35.89 billion, a PE ratio of 16.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.41.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.92%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is 31.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $136.12.

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; 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.