Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 141 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DFS. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 282.0% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 382 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Discover Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up previously from $117.00) on shares of Discover Financial Services in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Discover Financial Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $105.00 to $133.00 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $140.00 to $111.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Discover Financial Services currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $125.22.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

DFS opened at $119.93 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $121.38 and a 200 day moving average of $105.53. The stock 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 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 52-week low of $79.04 and a 52-week high of $131.65.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.58 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 11.2 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO John Greene sold 35,191 shares of Discover Financial Services 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 18,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,980,233.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.