Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Purchased by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,511 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,992 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $4,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Boston Partners boosted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 66.6% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,374,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $274,892,000 after buying an additional 2,548,180 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 402.8% during the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $71,739,000 after purchasing an additional 1,217,872 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,726,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $264,917,000 after purchasing an additional 727,649 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,685,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $115,266,000 after buying an additional 674,366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 400.2% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 842,539 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,751,000 after buying an additional 674,093 shares during the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SYF. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, JMP Securities boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.43.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total transaction of $3,490,637.54. Following the sale, the insider now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total transaction of $3,490,637.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at $3,563,209.23. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total value of $47,281.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 49,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,510,987.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF stock opened at $53.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $21.01 billion, a PE ratio of 7.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.61. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.07. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $27.30 and a 52 week high of $53.30.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.20. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.06% and a net margin of 13.52%. The company had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 5.81 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is currently 13.89%.

Synchrony Financial 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.