Synchrony Financial $SYF Shares Sold by UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management has decreased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 0.6%, now owning approximately 4.55 million shares valued at about $240.77 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have increased their stakes in Synchrony Financial, including Woodline Partners LP, which raised its stake by 36.2%, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Recent research reports have raised price targets for Synchrony Financial, with Truist Financial increasing its target from $68 to $76, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" among analysts.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 0.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,548,055 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 28,799 shares during the quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned 1.19% of Synchrony Financial worth $240,774,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 36.2% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 35,582 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,884,000 after purchasing an additional 9,460 shares in the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the first quarter worth about $309,000. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 21.7% during the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 15,346 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $812,000 after purchasing an additional 2,740 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the first quarter worth about $469,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the first quarter worth about $3,494,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SYF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $68.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. JMP Securities boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. BTIG Research upgraded Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Synchrony Financial to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Barclays cut 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. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $73.79.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Darrell Owens sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.95, for a total transaction of $40,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 11,380 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $739,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 108,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,024,030. This trade represents a 9.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,494 shares of company stock valued at $1,376,450. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $76.14 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $72.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.49. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $40.54 and a 52-week high of $77.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.24, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.55 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

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

About Synchrony Financial

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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