Shell Asset Management Co. Reduces Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Shell Asset Management Co. lessened its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,202 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,397 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $4,019,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Sona Asset Management US LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,357,000. Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 88,583 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,345,000 after purchasing an additional 3,457 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 2,186.9% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 4,894 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $848,000 after purchasing an additional 4,680 shares during the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $8,229,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 60,037 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $10,400,000 after purchasing an additional 4,711 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on DFS. StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on 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. Argus upgraded Discover Financial Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $191.64.

Discover Financial Services Stock Down 1.4%

DFS stock traded down $2.73 during trading on Monday, hitting $197.76. 31,289,322 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,784,714. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $172.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Discover Financial Services has a 1 year low of $119.95 and a 1 year high of $207.42.

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, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current 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.