Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) in a report issued on Sunday. The firm set a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $136.12.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of DFS stock opened at $152.96 on Friday. Discover Financial Services has a 52-week low of $80.38 and a 52-week high of $157.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market cap of $38.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.44, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.41. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $139.14 and its 200-day moving average is $132.02.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 20.92% and a net margin of 12.88%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.59 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.15 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Discover Financial Services

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of DFS. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Discover Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its position in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 72.5% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Company 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.