Panagora Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• Panagora Asset Management boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 16.2% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 421,404 shares and bringing its holding to 3,016,155 shares worth about $251.6 million.
• Synchrony Financial reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $2.27 per share, topping estimates, though revenue came in below forecasts and fell 7.4% year over year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share and has an analyst consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $86.05.

Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 16.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,016,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 421,404 shares during the quarter. Synchrony Financial makes up approximately 0.9% of Panagora Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Panagora Asset Management Inc. owned 0.87% of Synchrony Financial worth $251,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 337.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 590 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 0.0%

SYF opened at $73.36 on Monday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $24.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50-day moving average of $72.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.60. Synchrony Financial has a 12 month low of $59.46 and a 12 month high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.41% and a net margin of 15.80%.The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, April 21st that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is presently 12.41%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total transaction of $3,651,107.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on SYF. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Monday, April 20th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. BTIG Research cut Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.05.

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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