Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Grows Holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 13.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 446,501 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 52,000 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.12% of Synchrony Financial worth $23,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SYF. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. CVA Family Office LLC raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 355.9% during the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 693 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 55.6% in the first quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 862 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 503.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 972 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Financial Private Client LLC increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1,107.4% during the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 978 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 897 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SYF. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Cfra Research upgraded Synchrony Financial to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.17.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SYF traded up $1.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $72.90. The company had a trading volume of 3,237,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,310,771. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $40.54 and a twelve month high of $73.42. The stock has a market cap of $27.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $64.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.00.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.78. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 21.34% and a net margin of 14.43%. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.55 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 5th. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 14.56%.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 40,639 shares of the company'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 value of $2,441,184.73. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 146,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,807,943.96. This represents a 21.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 11,380 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $739,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 108,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,024,030. This trade represents a 9.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.32% of the stock is 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.