Alua Capital Management LP Makes New $72.60 Million Investment in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Alua Capital Management LP bought a new position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 419,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $72,601,000. Discover Financial Services makes up about 4.5% of Alua Capital Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Alua Capital Management LP owned about 0.17% of Discover Financial Services as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 117.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 7,869 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 4,253 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 7.0% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,415 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,022,000 after purchasing an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its stake in Discover Financial Services by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 6,207 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $871,000 after buying an additional 842 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Discover Financial Services by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 294,975 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,382,000 after buying an additional 9,463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,290 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of DFS stock traded down $2.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $188.20. 1,248,290 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,624,607. Discover Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $119.95 and a fifty-two week high of $205.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $168.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.66.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.33 by $0.92. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. Analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DFS. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Discover Financial Services from $169.00 to $129.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Discover Financial Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $188.91.

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.