American National Bank Purchases 338 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

American National Bank increased its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 48.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the quarter. American National Bank’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $136,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its position in Discover Financial Services by 335.4% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 63,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,171,000 after purchasing an additional 49,145 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 238.7% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 14,783 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,662,000 after purchasing an additional 10,418 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 916,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $103,000,000 after purchasing an additional 16,532 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at $1,073,000. Finally, Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 121,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,685,000 after purchasing an additional 19,283 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $126.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.41. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $79.04 and a 1-year high of $131.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $124.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.79.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($1.88). The company had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.07 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 17.07%. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 11.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 23rd were given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DFS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $127.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.29.

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; 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.