Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Cuts Holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise reduced its position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 39.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 24,000 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $1,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SYF. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 16,251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $566,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 30.3% in the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 7,753 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 1.5% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 69,748 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,428,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 2.3% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 101,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,520,000 after purchasing an additional 2,310 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 0.9% in the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 962,162 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,493,000 after purchasing an additional 8,110 shares during the period. 94.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $30.30 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.63. The company has a market cap of $12.54 billion, a PE ratio of 5.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.61. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $26.59 and a 12-month high of $38.82.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.05. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 11.79%. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 5.15 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 1st were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SYF has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $40.00 to $37.00 in a research report on Monday, October 2nd. Citigroup cut their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $43.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 6th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $34.00 target price on the stock. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, October 13th. They set a “hold” rating and a $32.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $36.18.

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 cards, 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 to retail and commercial customers, as well as accepts deposits through third-party securities brokerage firms.