Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Invests $369,000 in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,825 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $369,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 34,804 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,329,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 12,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $460,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 148,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,670,000 after acquiring an additional 5,478 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 131,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,033,000 after acquiring an additional 23,284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 8,489 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Compass Point started coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.41.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of SYF opened at $49.65 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $19.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.12, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $48.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.59. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $27.30 and a 52-week high of $52.67.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.20. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 16.06%. The firm had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. Analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 5th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total value of $3,490,637.54. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at $3,563,209.23. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total transaction of $47,281.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 49,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,510,987.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total value of $3,490,637.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Company Profile

Synchrony Financial, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer financial services company in the United States. It provides credit products, such as credit cards, commercial credit products, and consumer installment loans. The company also offers private label credit cards, dual co-brand and general purpose credit cards, short- and long-term installment loans, and consumer banking products; and deposit products, including certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, money market accounts, and savings accounts, and sweep and affinity deposits, as well as accepts deposits through third-party securities brokerage firms.