Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 1,507 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,507 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $7,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its stake in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% during the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 348.2% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $136.42 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.42. The company’s 50-day moving average is $134.43 and its 200 day moving average is $129.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.12. Discover Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $79.04 and a fifty-two week high of $147.61.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $6.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $3.00. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.92%. The business had revenue of $4.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.54 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 12.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 31.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DFS. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Discover Financial Services in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Discover Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $132.94.

Discover Financial Services 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; private student loans, 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.