Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 21,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,365,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 37.9% in the third quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 4,600,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $229,448,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265,000 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 389.8% during the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 1,138,672 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,797,000 after buying an additional 906,172 shares during the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,088,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 589.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 644,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,133,000 after buying an additional 550,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,083,329 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $200,756,000 after acquiring an additional 481,750 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock traded down $2.50 during trading on Friday, reaching $61.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,937,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,704,167. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $66.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.94. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $39.35 and a 12-month high of $70.93. The company has a market capitalization of $23.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 11.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on SYF. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley raised Synchrony Financial from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $40.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Compass Point cut shares of Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.30.

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.