V Square Quantitative Management LLC Grows Position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 19.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 11,709 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,905 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $447,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,468,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $167,187,000 after buying an additional 755,856 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.7% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,973,509 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $152,040,000 after acquiring an additional 178,344 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $182,739,000. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,826,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,112,000 after purchasing an additional 730,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,707,427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $113,336,000 after purchasing an additional 145,466 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 2.7 %

NYSE:SYF opened at $41.69 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $16.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.60. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $27.30 and a twelve month high of $46.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.59.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $5.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 16.01%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.35%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SYF shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Curtis Howse sold 31,562 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total transaction of $1,420,290.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 121,042 shares in the company, valued at $5,446,890. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company 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.