Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $17.35 Million Stock Position in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reduced its Synchrony Financial stake by 8.4% in Q1, leaving it with 255,077 shares valued at about $17.35 million.
• Synchrony Financial reported strong quarterly earnings, posting $2.59 EPS versus $2.14 expected, while revenue came in at $3.72 billion, in line with estimates.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.34 per share from $0.30, and analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $86.89.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio trimmed its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 8.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 255,077 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 23,472 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned about 0.08% of Synchrony Financial worth $17,350,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $383,231,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 34.6% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,595,381 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $907,356,000 after acquiring an additional 3,494,741 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $84,494,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 222.5% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 937,296 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $62,555,000 after purchasing an additional 646,642 shares during the period. Finally, Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,081,000. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on SYF shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.89.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $3,651,107.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 132,664 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,449,656.72. This trade represents a 27.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 1.5%

SYF stock opened at $72.88 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $73.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.06. The company has a market cap of $24.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.22. Synchrony Financial has a fifty-two week low of $63.08 and a fifty-two week high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.72 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.09% and a net margin of 15.44%.During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.30%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 21st that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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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