Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Acquired by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 9.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 443,251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 36,865 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned about 0.11% of Synchrony Financial worth $20,917,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 66.6% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,374,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $274,892,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548,180 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 362.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,981,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $75,688,000 after purchasing an additional 1,552,946 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 402.8% during the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $71,739,000 after buying an additional 1,217,872 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,685,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $115,266,000 after buying an additional 674,366 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 400.2% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 842,539 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,751,000 after acquiring an additional 674,093 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SYF shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.41.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total transaction of $47,281.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 49,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,510,987.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total transaction of $47,281.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 49,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,510,987.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total value of $3,490,637.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,563,209.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of SYF opened at $50.58 on Monday. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $27.30 and a 12-month high of $52.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 16.06%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.98%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

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.