Discover Financial Services Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:DFS)

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors acquired 7,453 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 94% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,847 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on DFS shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $185.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Securities reduced their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $188.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. UBS Group upgraded Discover Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $150.00 to $239.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Discover Financial Services from $262.00 to $219.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $169.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Discover Financial Services presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $188.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DFS. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 438.2% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 183 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 86.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Discover Financial Services stock opened at $187.70 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $170.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.76, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.09. Discover Financial Services has a 52-week low of $119.95 and a 52-week high of $205.76.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.25 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Company 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.