Pathstone Holdings LLC Reduces Stock Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Pathstone Holdings LLC lessened its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 3.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,364 shares during the quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $10,003,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on DFS shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 note on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Discover Financial Services presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.81.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $172.80 on Thursday. Discover Financial Services has a twelve month low of $85.19 and a twelve month high of $188.26. The company’s 50 day moving average is $150.42 and its 200 day moving average is $136.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $43.39 billion, a PE ratio of 13.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.41.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 21.38%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.23 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 22.60%.

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.