13,900 Shares in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Acquired by Board of the Pension Protection Fund

Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 13,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $736,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of SYF. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $347,903,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $142,838,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 340.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,512,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $163,303,000 after acquiring an additional 1,942,573 shares in the last quarter. Azora Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 700.5% in the 4th quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 2,107,839 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $137,010,000 after acquiring an additional 1,844,509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 169.0% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 2,356,862 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $153,196,000 after acquiring an additional 1,480,702 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of SYF stock opened at $65.87 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $25.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The business's 50 day moving average is $57.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.52. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $40.55 and a twelve month high of $70.93.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.80 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 19.68%. Equities analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 5th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This is an increase from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is presently 16.46%.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 40,639 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total value of $2,441,184.73. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 146,628 shares in the company, valued at $8,807,943.96. The trade was a 21.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 11,380 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $739,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 108,062 shares in the company, valued at $7,024,030. This represents a 9.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SYF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cfra Research raised Synchrony Financial to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $44.00 price target (down from $82.00) on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $76.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $64.78.

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.

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