Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 1,724 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Janus Henderson Group PLC decreased its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,014 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,724 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC's holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $6,073,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brookstone Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth $282,000. Carnegie Investment Counsel purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth $209,000. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth $3,309,000. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth $221,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,385 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $933,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

NYSE:DFS traded down $2.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $197.76. 31,289,322 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,794,465. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $176.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.92. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $119.95 and a one year high of $207.42. 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 firm has a market cap of $49.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DFS. Argus upgraded Discover Financial Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen cut Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $191.64.

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.