Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Lowers Position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. trimmed its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 7.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 149,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 11,600 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $7,925,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 178,811 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,787,000 after purchasing an additional 12,492 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $207,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 4,868 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. Monument Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 44,230 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,875,000 after purchasing an additional 1,323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 143,045 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,937,000 after acquiring an additional 18,142 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 40,639 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total transaction of $2,441,184.73. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 146,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock traded down $0.98 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $60.29. The stock had a trading volume of 2,862,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,308,991. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Synchrony Financial has a 12 month low of $40.54 and a 12 month high of $70.93. The firm has a market cap of $22.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.44. The business's 50-day moving average is $55.18 and its 200 day moving average is $59.65.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.26. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.80 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This is a positive change from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.46%.

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.