Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Has $259,000 Stock Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 107 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 8.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,493,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,051,314,000 after acquiring an additional 558,227 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 1,272.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 265,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,199,000 after purchasing an additional 245,829 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $39,067,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $21,169,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 924,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $160,070,000 after buying an additional 147,558 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Down 2.3 %

DFS opened at $195.27 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $183.23 and a 200-day moving average of $159.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $107.10 and a 1-year high of $205.76.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on DFS. UBS Group raised shares of Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI upped 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. Truist Financial raised their target price on Discover Financial Services from $233.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $186.46.

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.