Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $191.64.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus raised Discover Financial Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $169.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $219.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,489,000. Brookstone Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $282,000. Meyer Handelman Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $239,000. Mechanics Bank Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $234,000. Finally, JBGlobal.com LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $346,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of DFS opened at $204.08 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.48. The stock has a market cap of $51.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.79, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.16. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $119.95 and a 52 week high of $207.42.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by $0.92. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.25 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current year.

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.