Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by Wesbanco Bank Inc.

Wesbanco Bank Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 860 shares during the quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $760,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 37.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $200.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $99.79 and a 12 month high of $204.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.46. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $177.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.68.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 22.08% and a net margin of 13.78%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 14.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DFS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $233.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.71.

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; 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.