Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Acquired by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 288,787 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,200 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.07% of Synchrony Financial worth $18,771,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SYF. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 57,961 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,891,000 after purchasing an additional 3,984 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $205,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $217,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 88.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 66,361 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,310,000 after acquiring an additional 31,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 9,459 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Synchrony Financial stock opened at $51.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $40.55 and a one year high of $70.93. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $52.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.99 billion, a PE ratio of 6.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.45.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.26. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.80 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. This is a positive change from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is presently 11.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays raised shares of Synchrony Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $59.00 to $79.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.95.

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.

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