Financial Sense Advisors Inc. Purchases New Shares in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Financial Sense Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $732,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth about $351,766,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,493,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,051,314,000 after buying an additional 558,227 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in Discover Financial Services by 1,272.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 265,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,199,000 after buying an additional 245,829 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,067,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the third quarter worth approximately $21,169,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

NYSE:DFS opened at $203.34 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $51.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $118.74 and a 52 week high of $205.76. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $186.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.17.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. Equities analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.84 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 17.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on DFS shares. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $233.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target 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. UBS Group upgraded shares of Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $239.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.46.

About Discover Financial Services

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.