Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Has $2.27 Million Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 1.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 179 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $2,265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Discover Financial Services by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,073,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 2.9% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 14,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,991,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 92.0% during the third quarter. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $675,000 after purchasing an additional 2,307 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co increased its stake in Discover Financial Services by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 2,910 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the period. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Discover Financial Services by 47.6% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 0.5 %

Discover Financial Services stock opened at $173.76 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $146.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.31. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $84.00 and a 52 week high of $188.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.63 billion, a PE ratio of 14.02, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued 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. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.59 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 22.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on DFS. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Barclays raised their price target on Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.81.

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; 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.