Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Acquired by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 178,811 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 12,492 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $11,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,094 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 9,290 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,668 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $491,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 15,499 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $773,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock traded down $1.80 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $63.79. The stock had a trading volume of 3,465,542 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,697,085. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $66.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.91. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $39.35 and a 12-month 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 firm has a market cap of $24.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.63.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 11.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SYF shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Synchrony Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $79.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.30.

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.