Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Purchases 171 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $1,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in DFS. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in 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 during the period. Finally, Bfsg LLC bought a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of DFS stock opened at $166.29 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $41.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $185.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.63. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $119.31 and a one 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 posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors 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 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is presently 17.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DFS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target 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. increased their target price on Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $192.40.

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.