Sandy Spring Bank Has $239,000 Stock Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Sandy Spring Bank decreased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 10.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,382 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 156 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $239,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DFS. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services during the third quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 78.1% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DFS opened at $164.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.49 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a twelve month low of $119.31 and a twelve month high of $205.76. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $186.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.64.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by $1.98. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. Equities analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $186.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $193.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $146.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $192.40.

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.