Two Sigma Advisers LP Trims Stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Two Sigma Advisers LP cut its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 299,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,700 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned 0.08% of Synchrony Financial worth $19,487,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 111.5% during the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 480 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 151.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 807 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SYF shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $44.00 price objective (down from $82.00) on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.95.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 40,639 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total transaction of $2,441,184.73. Following the sale, the insider now owns 146,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,807,943.96. This trade represents a 21.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

NYSE SYF opened at $57.32 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.71, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $52.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.42. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $40.55 and a 52 week high of $70.93.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.80 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, May 5th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This is a boost from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.46%.

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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