Leavell Investment Management Inc. Acquires Shares of 1,450 Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 506.5% in the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 147.8% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 72.5% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 348.2% in the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

DFS stock opened at $181.40 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.76, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.41. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $143.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $82.68 and a 12-month high of $188.26.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.59 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DFS has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.81.

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; 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.