Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Given New $145.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $137.00 to $145.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 15.68% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on DFS. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (up previously from $117.00) on shares of Discover Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Discover Financial Services from $116.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a “peer perform” rating on shares of Discover Financial Services in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Discover Financial Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $105.00 to $133.00 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Discover Financial Services currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $125.94.

Discover Financial Services Stock Up 0.9 %

DFS opened at $125.35 on Friday. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $122.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.03. The company has a market capitalization of $31.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.45.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.98 by ($1.88). Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 16.74%. The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.58 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 11.23 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Discover Financial Services news, CFO John Greene sold 35,191 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.51, for a total transaction of $3,748,193.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,980,233.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Dagco Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 86.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.