Park Avenue Securities LLC Boosts Position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 26.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,179 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,173 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $1,312,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. National Pension Service boosted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 22.7% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 957,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,773,000 after acquiring an additional 177,051 shares during the last quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the second quarter valued at about $951,000. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 9.1% during the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 443,251 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,917,000 after acquiring an additional 36,865 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 119.0% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 243,040 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $12,123,000 after buying an additional 132,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brophy Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $544,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SYF. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.45.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF stock traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $68.73. The stock had a trading volume of 2,326,369 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,599,523. The business's fifty day moving average is $66.27 and its 200-day moving average is $56.09. The firm has a market cap of $26.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.97, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.64. 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 has a 1-year low of $35.29 and a 1-year high of $69.39.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 13.05%.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $2,220,253.37. Following the sale, the insider now owns 127,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,291,879.13. The trade was a 21.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the 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 owns 99,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,498,831.59. This trade represents a 18.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.