Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Sold by Quadrant Capital Group LLC

Quadrant Capital Group LLC lowered its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 811 shares during the quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 45.4% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 108,458 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,142,000 after buying an additional 33,867 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 58.1% in the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 280,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,646,000 after buying an additional 103,222 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,384,091 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $91,048,000 after buying an additional 116,458 shares during the period. Convergence Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 255.2% in the 4th quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 27,989 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,069,000 after buying an additional 20,110 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,588,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,032,000 after buying an additional 165,369 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.4 %

SYF opened at $44.80 on Wednesday. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $27.30 and a one year high of $46.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.99 billion, a PE ratio of 6.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $43.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.19). Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The business had revenue of $5.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 5.75 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 24th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, May 6th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total value of $264,584.78. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,503.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 134,696 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.26, for a total transaction of $5,557,556.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 660,353 shares in the company, valued at $27,246,164.78. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total value of $264,584.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 152,604 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,503.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 172,437 shares of company stock worth $7,242,432. Insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SYF has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Wolfe Research upgraded Synchrony Financial from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $36.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.74.

About Synchrony Financial

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.