DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Has $7.62 Million Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lowered its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,311 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,948 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale's holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $7,621,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 282.0% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 382 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DFS traded down $0.35 on Thursday, hitting $122.94. 776,105 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,322,883. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $79.04 and a 1-year high of $131.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a PE ratio of 10.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.45. The firm's 50-day moving average is $120.26 and its 200 day moving average is $104.45.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.50 by ($0.96). Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 22.24%. The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.77 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Discover Financial Services's payout ratio is currently 24.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $98.00 price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $127.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. HSBC boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $107.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $117.00) on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $125.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO John Greene sold 35,191 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.51, for a total value of $3,748,193.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,980,233.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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; private student loans, 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.