Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Position Lessened by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 15.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 906,761 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 162,333 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.23% of Synchrony Financial worth $58,939,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SYF. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP lifted its stake in 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 worth $229,448,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265,000 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 389.8% in the third quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 1,138,672 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,797,000 after purchasing an additional 906,172 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the third quarter worth $41,088,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 589.3% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 644,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,133,000 after acquiring an additional 550,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,083,329 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $200,756,000 after acquiring an additional 481,750 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on SYF shares. Compass Point downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price objective on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.30.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Synchrony Financial stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $64.06. 3,654,136 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,721,436. The company has a market capitalization of $24.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.50, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.63. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $38.78 and a 12-month high of $70.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $67.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.35.

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 return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 15.36%. Analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.71%.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $2,220,253.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 127,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,291,879.13. This represents a 21.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.