Man Group plc Has $39.21 Million Stock Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Man Group plc raised its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 42.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 226,330 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 67,867 shares during the period. Man Group plc owned approximately 0.09% of Discover Financial Services worth $39,207,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

DFS stock traded up $0.62 during trading on Friday, reaching $201.10. 31,289,322 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,784,714. The company has a 50-day moving average of $172.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.47. The company has a market capitalization of $50.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.16. Discover Financial Services has a twelve month low of $119.95 and a twelve month high of $207.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on DFS shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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 restated a "hold" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, TD Securities dropped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $188.00 to $184.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $191.64.

About Discover Financial Services

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.