Sentry Investment Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 141 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $147,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 282.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 382 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DFS shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Discover Financial Services from $116.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Barclays raised their target price on Discover Financial Services from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $127.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $117.00) on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.22.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of DFS opened at $119.93 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. Discover Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $79.04 and a fifty-two week high of $131.65. The company has a market cap of $30.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.66, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $121.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.53.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.03 by ($1.93). Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 22.24%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.58 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 11.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Discover Financial Services

In related news, CFO John Greene sold 35,191 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.51, for a total transaction of $3,748,193.41. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,592 shares in the company, valued at $1,980,233.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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; 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.