AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Has $139.56 Million Stock Position in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its Synchrony Financial stake by 27.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 1,672,728 shares worth about $139.6 million.
• Insiders sold shares recently, including Brian D. Doubles and Brian J. Sr. Wenzel, with total insider sales over the last 90 days reaching 323,372 shares valued at about $22.1 million.
• Synchrony Financial reported Q1 EPS of $2.27, topping estimates, and announced a quarterly $0.30 dividend plus a new stock repurchase authorization; analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $86.32.

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 27.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,672,728 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 362,862 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned approximately 0.46% of Synchrony Financial worth $139,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 358 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 40.2% during the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 474 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 47,112 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total transaction of $3,164,041.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 64,221 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,313,082.36. This trade represents a 42.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 217,554 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.68, for a total transaction of $14,941,608.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 829,222 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,950,966.96. The trade was a 20.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 323,372 shares of company stock valued at $22,080,634 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on SYF shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Compass Point upgraded Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $96.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, BTIG Research lowered Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of SYF opened at $71.27 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $70.67 and a 200-day moving average of $74.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The company has a market capitalization of $23.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.37. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $55.67 and a 1 year high of $88.77.

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

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

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.41%.

About Synchrony Financial

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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