Synchrony Financial $SYF Shares Sold by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers cut its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 25.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 73,821 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 25,677 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $5,021,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the third quarter worth about $29,000. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 2.7%

NYSE SYF opened at $77.85 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $73.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market cap of $25.33 billion, a PE ratio of 7.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.32. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $63.08 and a 52 week high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.45. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.44% and a return on equity of 23.09%. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.72 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.50 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.30%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 21st that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. TD Cowen increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, HSBC lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $87.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 132,664 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,449,656.72. The trade was a 27.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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