Synchrony Financial $SYF Stock Holdings Decreased by Gulf International Bank UK Ltd

Key Points

• Gulf International Bank UK Ltd reduced its stake in Synchrony Financial by 34.0%, resulting in ownership of 22,093 shares valued at approximately $1,169,000.
• Synchrony Financial reported a $2.50 EPS for the quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, despite a 1.8% year-over-year decline in revenue to $3.65 billion.
• Moving forward, eight investment analysts have rated Synchrony Financial with a hold rating, while thirteen have issued a buy rating, indicating strong optimism for future performance.

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 34.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,093 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 11,370 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd's holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $1,169,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 0.8% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 25,806 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 11,505 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the period. Invst LLC raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Invst LLC now owns 20,560 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,336,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 103,038 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,697,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 12.0% during the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 2,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on SYF shares. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Synchrony Financial to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, August 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.05.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SYF traded down $0.2150 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $71.5750. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,919,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,075,656. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $40.54 and a 1-year high of $73.76. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $68.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market cap of $26.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.49.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.78. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 21.34%. The business had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.55 EPS. The company'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, sell-side analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is presently 14.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 8,514 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 68,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,801,160. The trade was a 11.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 11,380 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $739,700.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 108,062 shares in the company, valued at $7,024,030. This trade represents a 9.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,494 shares of company stock worth $1,376,450. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Synchrony Financial

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.