Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Stake Lessened by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership trimmed its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 33.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,392,256 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,693,343 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned about 1.38% of Synchrony Financial worth $350,497,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth $347,903,000. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,265,000 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 389.8% in the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 1,138,672 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $56,797,000 after buying an additional 906,172 shares during the period. Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,088,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,083,329 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $200,756,000 after buying an additional 481,750 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company's stock.

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Synchrony Financial Trading Up 3.5 %

Shares of SYF traded up $1.85 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $55.11. The company had a trading volume of 3,198,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,832,474. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $39.67 and a 1-year high of $70.93. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $60.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.71. The stock has a market cap of $21.42 billion, a PE ratio of 6.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.67.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 11.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SYF shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $60.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley upgraded Synchrony Financial from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $40.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Compass Point cut Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.10.

Synchrony Financial Company 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.