Huntington National Bank Boosts Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Huntington National Bank lifted its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 9.0 %

DFS opened at $146.77 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $181.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $119.31 and a 12 month high of $205.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.20, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. Sell-side analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on DFS shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. 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. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $192.40.

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.