Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Position Increased by Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,143,570 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,898 shares during the quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI owned 0.29% of Synchrony Financial worth $74,332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 111.5% in the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 480 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 151.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 807 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on SYF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $76.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Compass Point cut shares of Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $63.95.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of SYF stock opened at $60.03 on Tuesday. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $40.55 and a 1 year high of $70.93. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $52.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.42. 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 (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.26. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.80 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, May 5th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. This is a positive change from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is 16.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 40,639 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total value of $2,441,184.73. Following the sale, the insider now owns 146,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,807,943.96. The trade was a 21.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Synchrony Financial Company Profile

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.

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