UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Boosts Stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,070,170 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 235,465 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.82% of Discover Financial Services worth $358,616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at $724,720,000. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth about $351,766,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 38.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,974,471 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $515,268,000 after acquiring an additional 826,287 shares during the period. Third Point LLC acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $110,867,000. Finally, Empyrean Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $100,993,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on DFS. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $169.00 to $129.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Discover Financial Services in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of 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, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $191.64.

Discover Financial Services Stock Down 1.4%

DFS stock opened at $197.76 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company's 50-day moving average price is $174.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $179.26. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $119.95 and a 52 week high of $207.42. The company has a market cap of $49.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.16.

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

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.

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