Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Holdings Trimmed by Boston Partners

Key Points

• Boston Partners reduced its stake in Synchrony Financial by 10.5%, now holding approximately 1.36% of the company worth about $273.84 million after selling over 608,000 shares.
• Synchrony Financial's recent quarterly earnings report showed an earnings per share of $2.50, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.72, despite a 1.8% decline in revenue compared to the previous year.
• Insider Jonathan S. Mothner recently sold 40,639 shares for over $2.4 million, indicating a 21.7% decrease in his stake, amidst other significant insider transactions at the firm.

Boston Partners decreased its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 10.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,173,705 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 608,259 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned approximately 1.36% of Synchrony Financial worth $273,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 30.4% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 73,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,895,000 after purchasing an additional 17,061 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 1st quarter worth about $11,506,000. BTC Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 25.9% during the 1st quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 65,835 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,485,000 after purchasing an additional 13,526 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 70.2% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 10,657 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 4,397 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 236,967 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $12,545,000 after acquiring an additional 5,765 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 8,514 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $595,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 68,588 shares in the company, valued at $4,801,160. This represents a 11.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 11,380 shares of the company'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 transaction, the insider owned 108,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,024,030. The trade was a 9.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 61,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,817,635 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SYF shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, August 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $72.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. BTIG Research raised Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.05.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF stock traded up $0.29 on Thursday, hitting $72.88. 2,589,738 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,801,135. The company has a market capitalization of $27.11 billion, a PE ratio of 8.84, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.49. The company's fifty day moving average is $67.67 and its 200 day moving average is $60.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $40.54 and a 1-year high of $73.76.

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

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 5th. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.56%.

Synchrony Financial 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.