Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Sells 195 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd trimmed its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 19,868 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 195 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $3,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 78.1% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on DFS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.91.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

NYSE:DFS opened at $191.20 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $188.37 and its 200-day moving average is $164.75. The company has a market cap of $48.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.98, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.46. 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 has a 52-week low of $118.74 and a 52-week high of $205.76.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 17.54%.

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.