Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Has $2.72 Million Stock Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lessened its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,392 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,073 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $2,721,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Elser Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $91,044,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,493,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,051,314,000 after buying an additional 558,227 shares in the last quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 368.0% in the second quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 646,691 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $84,594,000 after acquiring an additional 508,504 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in Discover Financial Services by 1,272.0% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 265,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,199,000 after acquiring an additional 245,829 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 67.1% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 478,599 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,606,000 after acquiring an additional 192,142 shares during the period. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of DFS stock opened at $176.00 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $44.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $96.46 and a 12 month high of $188.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $164.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $143.65.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 21.38%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. Research analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.43 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 22.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $149.57.

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.