Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by Barnett & Company Inc.

Barnett & Company Inc. trimmed its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the quarter. Discover Financial Services accounts for approximately 2.2% of Barnett & Company Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Barnett & Company Inc.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $3,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hemington Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 9,248 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,602,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 6,158 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Invst LLC boosted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 7,253 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,018,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. grew its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. now owns 2,047 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Trading Up 0.3 %

DFS opened at $164.90 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $186.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.10. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $119.31 and a 1-year high of $205.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DFS. Barclays upped their price target on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research 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 company a “sector perform” rating in a research 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 stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $192.40.

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.