Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Position Boosted by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 28.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 162,955 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 35,599 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.'s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $6,223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,274 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,711 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Alpha Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $100,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $131,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SYF has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Wolfe Research upgraded Synchrony Financial from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $36.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $43.74.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total value of $264,584.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,503.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total transaction of $264,584.78. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,534,503.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 134,696 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.26, for a total value of $5,557,556.96. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 660,353 shares in the company, valued at $27,246,164.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 172,437 shares of company stock worth $7,242,432 over the last three months. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of SYF traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $45.73. 3,900,830 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,439,005. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $26.67 and a 52 week high of $46.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company's 50 day moving average is $42.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.85. The company has a market capitalization of $18.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.56, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.58.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.19). Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The business had revenue of $5.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.35 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 5.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 3rd. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is 14.35%.

Synchrony Financial announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.