Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Upgraded at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report report published on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. Barclays currently has $186.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their previous target price of $137.00.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on DFS. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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 upped 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 report on Wednesday, October 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted 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 target 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, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.07.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $175.89 on Monday. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $96.46 and a 52 week high of $188.26. The company’s 50 day moving average is $174.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.88. The company has a market cap of $44.19 billion, a PE ratio of 14.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.46. 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 (NYSE:DFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DFS. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its position in 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 buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its position in Discover Financial Services by 37.1% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.