Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Sold by Sculptor Capital LP

Sculptor Capital LP lowered its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 1.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,303,522 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 13,100 shares during the quarter. Discover Financial Services comprises approximately 3.2% of Sculptor Capital LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Sculptor Capital LP’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $170,514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 147.8% during the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Discover Financial Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE DFS opened at $138.30 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $129.04. The company has a market capitalization of $34.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $79.04 and a 1 year high of $147.61.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $6.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $3.00. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.92%. The firm had revenue of $4.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 12.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd were given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DFS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $132.94.

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; 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.