MetLife Investment Management LLC Has $9.16 Million Stock Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

MetLife Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,564 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $9,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DFS. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its stake in 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its holdings in 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of DFS opened at $182.56 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $45.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $155.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.27. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $85.37 and a 1-year high of $188.26.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 last year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is presently 22.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Thirteen equities research 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 currently has an average 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.