Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $389,000 Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 47.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 895 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $389,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $584,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 1st quarter worth $214,000. Connors Investor Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc. now owns 20,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,696,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 6,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $832,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 1st quarter worth $201,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

NYSE:DFS opened at $176.02 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $146.95 and a 200 day moving average of $135.58. The company has a market capitalization of $44.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.41. Discover Financial Services has a 1-year low of $84.03 and a 1-year high of $188.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate 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 company posted $2.59 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 22.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DFS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com cut Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $152.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $148.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.81.

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; 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.