Martin & Co. Inc. TN Sells 2,010 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Martin & Co. Inc. TN reduced its position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 43,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,010 shares during the quarter. Discover Financial Services accounts for about 1.9% of Martin & Co. Inc. TN’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Martin & Co. Inc. TN’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $7,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 14.8% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 439,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,693,000 after acquiring an additional 56,814 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 10.5% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 115,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,202,000 after acquiring an additional 10,946 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Meyer Handelman Co. acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,415,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of Discover Financial Services stock opened at $196.14 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $184.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $160.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.46. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $109.50 and a one year high of $205.76.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%. Analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.57 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DFS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $186.46.

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.