United Services Automobile Association Buys Shares of 8,951 Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association (USAA) purchased 8,951 shares of Synchrony Financial, valued at around $469,000, marking a new investment in the company.
• Several large investors, including Vanguard Group and Ameriprise Financial, have increased their stakes in Synchrony Financial, reflecting rising institutional interest.
• The stock received several positive upgrades from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.05.

United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 8,951 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $469,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SYF. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $175,294,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $142,838,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 755.7% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,179,984 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $115,408,000 after acquiring an additional 1,925,217 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 129.5% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,051,160 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $161,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,721,891 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 169.0% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 2,356,862 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $153,196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480,702 shares during the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:SYF traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $75.43. 1,954,364 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,629,824. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $72.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $40.54 and a twelve month high of $77.41. The company has a market cap of $28.06 billion, a PE ratio of 9.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.49.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.78. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 21.34% and a net margin of 14.43%.The company had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.55 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 5th. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SYF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. JMP Securities boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. BTIG Research raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $48.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 8,514 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $595,980.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 68,588 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,801,160. The trade was a 11.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.95, for a total transaction of $40,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,452,227.40. This represents a 2.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,494 shares of company stock valued at $1,376,450 over the last 90 days. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.