Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Acquired by National Pension Service

National Pension Service lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 957,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 177,051 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.24% of Synchrony Financial worth $47,773,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Swedbank AB boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 23.8% during the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 99,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,694,000 after purchasing an additional 19,098 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,192,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 98.6% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 11,846 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 52.6% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 490,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $21,134,000 after acquiring an additional 168,920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.1% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 998,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,011,000 after purchasing an additional 30,366 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total transaction of $1,209,221.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,498,831.59. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total transaction of $1,209,221.42. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 99,743 shares in the company, valued at $5,498,831.59. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,563,209.23. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

SYF stock opened at $67.51 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $51.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.05. The company has a market cap of $26.28 billion, a PE ratio of 8.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $28.84 and a 12-month high of $67.76.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.17. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. The business had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 6.34 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SYF. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $56.60.

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.