USS Investment Management Ltd Decreases Position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

USS Investment Management Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 18.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 57,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 12,971 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $9,977,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DFS. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth about $38,489,000. JBGlobal.com LLC purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $346,000. AIA Group Ltd purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,854,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth $225,000. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DFS opened at $197.76 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $174.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.26. Discover Financial Services has a 12 month low of $119.95 and a 12 month high of $207.42.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.33 by $0.92. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DFS shares. Argus raised Discover Financial Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $219.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $169.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $191.64.

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.