Leeward Investments LLC MA Invests $7.18 Million in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Leeward Investments LLC MA bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 63,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $7,176,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in DFS. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 10.6% during the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,163 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,054,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165 shares during the last quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 37.8% during the third quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. now owns 86,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,521,000 after acquiring an additional 23,825 shares during the period. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 45.3% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 43,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,785,000 after acquiring an additional 13,623 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 3.5% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 97,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,417,000 after acquiring an additional 3,249 shares during the period. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 27.6% during the third quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,757 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 812 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:DFS traded up $2.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $127.70. 1,136,120 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,202,638. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The company has a market cap of $32.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.45. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $79.04 and a one year high of $131.65. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $123.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.27.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($1.88). The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.07 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 16.74% and a net margin of 10.56%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 11.39 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. Discover Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is 31.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DFS has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Discover Financial Services from $139.00 to $121.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Discover Financial Services from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Citigroup increased their target price on Discover Financial Services from $127.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Discover Financial Services from $117.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $126.29.

Discover Financial Services 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; private student loans, 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.