250,286 Shares in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Purchased by Sona Asset Management US LLC

Sona Asset Management US LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 250,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $43,357,000. Discover Financial Services comprises approximately 1.7% of Sona Asset Management US LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DFS. Brookstone Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $282,000. Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,687 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 2,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $475,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 31.9% during the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,736 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $474,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,522 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 0.0%

DFS stock opened at $200.18 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $171.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.96. The company has a market cap of $50.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.16. Discover Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $119.95 and a fifty-two week high of $207.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.09.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on DFS shares. Argus raised shares of Discover Financial Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. TD Securities cut their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $188.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.64.

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.