Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by Bruni J V & Co. Co.

Bruni J V & Co. Co. decreased its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 303,333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 65,924 shares during the quarter. Discover Financial Services accounts for about 5.9% of Bruni J V & Co. Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Bruni J V & Co. Co. owned 0.12% of Discover Financial Services worth $52,546,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DFS. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth about $351,766,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,493,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,051,314,000 after acquiring an additional 558,227 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 1,272.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 265,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,199,000 after acquiring an additional 245,829 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth about $39,067,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth about $36,219,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DFS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $233.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group raised Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $191.91.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $195.38 on Friday. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $118.74 and a 1-year high of $205.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.16 billion, a PE ratio of 12.24, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.46. The business’s 50 day moving average is $188.81 and its 200-day moving average is $165.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%. Sell-side analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 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 Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is presently 17.54%.

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.