Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Sold by Bridgeway Capital Management LLC

Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lowered its position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 50.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 57,900 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC's holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $3,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 111.5% in the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 480 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 151.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 807 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Bank of America increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com downgraded Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $44.00 target price (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Synchrony Financial from $76.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.95.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SYF traded up $1.03 on Tuesday, reaching $61.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,146,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,566,629. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $40.54 and a 52-week high of $70.93. The company has a market cap of $23.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.19, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.26. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.80 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. This is a positive change from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.46%.

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.