Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Purchased by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF – Get Rating) by 29.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,665 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,660 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $679,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SYF. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 211,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,950,000 after buying an additional 13,571 shares during the last quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC now owns 44,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,448,000 after buying an additional 3,747 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth $241,000. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 256,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,428,000 after buying an additional 40,313 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 15.2% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 10,096 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 1,329 shares during the last quarter. 95.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SYF shares. Oppenheimer raised Synchrony Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $37.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $31.00 to $26.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. StockNews.com lowered Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.53.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

SYF stock opened at $30.35 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s 50-day moving average is $28.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.84. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $26.59 and a 1 year high of $40.88.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $4.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 14.93% and a return on equity of 21.68%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.73 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 2nd were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 1st. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.20%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, April 25th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Bart Schaller sold 11,071 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total value of $401,323.75. Following the sale, the insider now owns 71,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,597,820. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Alberto Casellas sold 39,460 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total transaction of $1,426,084.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 70,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,531,245.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bart Schaller sold 11,071 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total value of $401,323.75. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 71,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,597,820. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.65% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Synchrony Financial Company Profile

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Synchrony Financial engages in the provision of consumer financial services. The firm is also involved in managing credit products through the following sales platforms: Home and Auto, Digital, Diversified and Value, Health and Wellness, and Lifestyle. The company was founded on September 12, 2003 and is headquartered in Stamford, CT.