80,034 Shares in Synchrony Financial $SYF Purchased by Evolve Private Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Evolve Private Wealth LLC opened a new position in Synchrony Financial, buying 80,034 shares valued at about $6.68 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional interest in SYF appears strong overall, with hedge funds and other investors holding 96.48% of the stock; several firms also sharply increased their stakes during the period.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive on Synchrony Financial, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.05, while the stock recently traded around $74.02.

Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 80,034 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,677,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1,519.1% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 187,463 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,640,000 after acquiring an additional 175,885 shares in the last quarter. Azora Capital LP boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 388.7% in the 4th quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 667,070 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $55,654,000 after purchasing an additional 530,573 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 136.0% in the 4th quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 448,899 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,452,000 after purchasing an additional 258,727 shares in the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $401,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SYF has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Loop Capital initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, May 22nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $81.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.05.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $3,651,107.34. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 132,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,449,656.72. The trade was a 27.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of SYF opened at $74.02 on Thursday. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $60.18 and a 52-week high of $88.77. The company has a market capitalization of $24.90 billion, a PE ratio of 7.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.41% and a net margin of 15.80%.The company's quarterly revenue was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 5th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is 12.41%.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Profile

Synchrony Financial NYSE: SYF is a consumer financial services company that specializes in providing point-of-sale financing and private-label, co-branded and branded credit card programs. The company serves as a payments and lending partner to retailers, digital merchants and service providers, offering consumer financing solutions designed to drive customer engagement and sales. Synchrony also operates a direct bank that offers deposit products, including savings accounts and certificates of deposit, which support its funding and customer-facing product suite.

Its core product set includes private-label and co-branded credit cards, general-purpose credit cards, installment loan programs and promotional financing options that are integrated into merchants' checkout experiences.

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