UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Boosts Holdings in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 13.4% during the first quarter, now owning 46,506 shares valued at approximately $2.46 million.
• Insider sales were reported with Brian J. Sr. Wenzel selling 8,514 shares and Darrell Owens selling 600 shares recently, indicating an overall decrease in insider ownership.
• Synchrony Financial reported a quarterly EPS of $2.50, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations, however, revenue decreased by 1.8% compared to the previous year.

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 13.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,506 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,494 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $2,462,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. MAI Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 36.3% in the first quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 627 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 0.8% in the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 25,806 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 3.7% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 5,603 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 11,505 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $748,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 2.6% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 9,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $488,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

SYF traded down $0.58 during trading on Friday, hitting $75.43. 1,954,364 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,629,824. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $40.54 and a twelve month high of $77.41. The company has a market cap of $28.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.15, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $72.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.60.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.78. The business had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 21.34%. The company's revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.55 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 14.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Darrell Owens sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.95, for a total transaction of $40,770.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,452,227.40. This represents a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 11,380 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $739,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 108,062 shares in the company, valued at $7,024,030. This trade represents a 9.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,494 shares of company stock valued at $1,376,450. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on SYF. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, August 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays dropped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.79.

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.