Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Purchased by ExodusPoint Capital Management LP

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 871.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 240,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 215,784 shares during the quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP owned about 0.10% of Discover Financial Services worth $41,669,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 21.5% during the fourth quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 403 shares during the period. OneAscent Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth $283,000. Cinctive Capital Management LP lifted its position in Discover Financial Services by 149.4% during the 4th quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 208,265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,078,000 after acquiring an additional 124,742 shares during the period. AF Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $243,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of DFS stock opened at $175.81 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Discover Financial Services has a 12-month low of $119.31 and a 12-month high of $205.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $183.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.92. The company has a market capitalization of $44.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on DFS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Discover Financial Services from $170.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Discover Financial Services has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $192.40.

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.