Tredje AP fonden Has $3.41 Million Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Tredje AP fonden decreased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 50.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,658 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 19,657 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $3,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of DFS. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Discover Financial Services during the third quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of DFS opened at $158.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $119.31 and a 52 week high of $205.76. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $187.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $167.60. 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 (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DFS. UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $191.91.

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.