Xponance Inc. Buys 19,460 Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Xponance Inc. raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 33.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 19,460 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.'s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $4,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SYF. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,963,573 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $650,678,000 after purchasing an additional 205,641 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $347,903,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,183,717 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $336,942,000 after buying an additional 1,093,922 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,576,854 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $297,496,000 after acquiring an additional 382,194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,602,422 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $234,157,000 after acquiring an additional 471,958 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 40,639 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total transaction of $2,441,184.73. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 146,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,807,943.96. The trade was a 21.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 11,380 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $739,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 108,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,024,030. This represents a 9.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF opened at $70.56 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $40.55 and a one year high of $71.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.68, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.46. The business has a fifty day moving average of $61.65 and a 200 day moving average of $59.62.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.26. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 19.68% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.80 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 5th. This is a positive change from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 16.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on SYF shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $48.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $52.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Synchrony Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.00.

Synchrony Financial 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.

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