SG Americas Securities LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC cut its Synchrony Financial stake by 12.1% in the first quarter, selling 43,602 shares and ending with 315,520 shares worth about $21.5 million.
• Synchrony reported Q1 EPS of $2.27, beating estimates, though revenue of $3.70 billion came in below expectations and fell 7.4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share and reaffirmed a share repurchase program, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $86.05.

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 12.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 315,520 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 43,602 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Synchrony Financial worth $21,462,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SYF. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $3,651,107.34. Following the transaction, the insider owned 132,664 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,449,656.72. This represents a 27.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 Trading Up 1.6%

SYF stock opened at $76.25 on Thursday. Synchrony Financial has a 12 month low of $63.08 and a 12 month high of $88.77. The firm's 50-day moving average is $73.50 and its 200 day moving average is $74.44. The company has a market capitalization of $25.65 billion, a PE ratio of 7.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

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

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, April 21st that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 5th were issued a $0.30 dividend. 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Barclays boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. BTIG Research downgraded Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.05.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SYF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.