Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 55.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 913 shares during the quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. Elser Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $91,044,000. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new position in Discover Financial Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $71,693,000. Samlyn Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 368.0% during the 2nd quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 646,691 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $84,594,000 after acquiring an additional 508,504 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the first quarter worth approximately $62,829,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 430.5% during the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 443,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,752,000 after purchasing an additional 360,074 shares during the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DFS shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com began coverage on Discover Financial Services in a report on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $136.12.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

NYSE:DFS opened at $148.68 on Friday. 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 $152.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.29 billion, a PE ratio of 16.95, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $137.08 and its 200 day moving average is $131.05.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.92%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.59 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is presently 31.93%.

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; 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.