UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Raises Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,834,705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 12,255 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.73% of Discover Financial Services worth $257,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DFS. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% in the 2nd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% during the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DFS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Discover Financial Services currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.81.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Discover Financial Services stock opened at $182.43 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $156.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $89.58 and a 12-month high of $188.26. The company has a market cap of $45.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.72, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.41.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last posted its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $2.59 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 22.60%.

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.