Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Stake Boosted by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 143,045 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 18,142 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $9,937,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Bogart Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 92.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 111.5% during the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 480 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 301.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 899 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on SYF. Compass Point downgraded Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.30.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 3.9 %

NYSE SYF traded down $2.50 on Friday, hitting $61.35. 3,937,381 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,704,167. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $66.69 and a 200 day moving average of $58.94. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $39.35 and a twelve 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 current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 15.36%. As a group, analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 11.71%.

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.