Olympiad Research LP Boosts Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Olympiad Research LP lifted its holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 105.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,277 shares during the period. Discover Financial Services makes up 1.1% of Olympiad Research LP’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Olympiad Research LP’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $1,714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the second quarter worth about $26,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 506.5% in the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 147.8% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 72.5% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 348.2% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of DFS opened at $182.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $45.83 billion, a PE ratio of 14.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.60. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $82.15 and a 1-year high of $188.26.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. The firm 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 business posted $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.28 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on DFS. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Discover Financial Services currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.81.

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.