Guggenheim Capital LLC Raises Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 25.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,326 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,667 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $3,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position 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 buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $159.91 on Friday. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $119.95 and a 12-month high of $205.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $40.23 billion, a PE ratio of 10.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $172.58.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Discover Financial Services from $169.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $262.00 to $219.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $188.40.

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.