Holocene Advisors LP Increases Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 283,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,602 shares during the quarter. Holocene Advisors LP owned approximately 0.11% of Discover Financial Services worth $39,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its position in Discover Financial Services by 147.8% during the 2nd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE:DFS opened at $179.96 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.52, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $93.83 and a 12 month high of $188.26. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.87.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.59 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DFS. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Discover Financial Services has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.81.

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.