Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Purchased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 7.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 184,577 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 12,336 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $9,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 23.8% in the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 99,461 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,694,000 after buying an additional 19,098 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $2,192,000. National Pension Service boosted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 957,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,773,000 after purchasing an additional 177,051 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 35.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,300,576 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,082,000 after buying an additional 342,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 287,547 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,569,000 after buying an additional 42,293 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total transaction of $1,209,221.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,498,831.59. This trade represents a 18.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $2,220,253.37. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 127,587 shares in the company, valued at $8,291,879.13. This trade represents a 21.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Synchrony Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $54.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $72.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $57.43.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

NYSE:SYF traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $65.99. 3,252,400 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,969,207. The company has a market cap of $25.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.59. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $55.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.58. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $29.15 and a 52-week high of $67.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.17. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. The firm had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 6.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.05%.

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.