Trust Co. of Virginia VA Takes Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Trust Co. of Virginia VA purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 1,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DFS. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of DFS opened at $130.81 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $124.81 and a 200-day moving average of $118.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $32.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.41. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $79.04 and a 1 year high of $131.65.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($1.88). Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.58 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 11.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 22nd. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on DFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research report on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.29.

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; private student loans, 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.