Synchrony Financial $SYF Shares Sold by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems cut its Synchrony Financial stake by 40.1% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 577,970 shares valued at about $48.2 million. Institutional ownership remains very high at 96.48% of the stock.
• Insiders were also selling: CEO Brian D. Doubles sold 217,554 shares and insider Darrell Owens sold 3,865 shares on March 2, with insiders selling 323,372 shares over the last three months in total.
• Synchrony Financial reported strong quarterly earnings of $2.27 per share, beating estimates, and the board initiated a share buyback plan. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, or $1.20 annually, for a 1.7% yield.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al trimmed its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 40.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 577,970 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 387,400 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned 0.16% of Synchrony Financial worth $48,220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SYF. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 358 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 337.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 590 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 40.2% during the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 474 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 217,554 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.68, for a total transaction of $14,941,608.72. Following the sale, the insider owned 829,222 shares in the company, valued at $56,950,966.96. The trade was a 20.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 3,865 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total transaction of $261,699.15. Following the sale, the insider owned 17,432 shares in the company, valued at $1,180,320.72. This represents a 18.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 323,372 shares of company stock worth $22,080,634. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE SYF opened at $70.91 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $70.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.00. Synchrony Financial has a 12 month low of $55.67 and a 12 month high of $88.77. The company has a market capitalization of $23.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.33, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.37.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.13. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 23.41%. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, April 21st that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 5th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is presently 12.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on SYF shares. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Compass Point upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $96.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Synchrony Financial Profile

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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