Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV Grows Stock Holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 25.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,686,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $315,381,000 after buying an additional 313,128 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 66.6% during the first 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. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 14.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,726,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $264,917,000 after acquiring an additional 727,649 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 2.9% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 3,496,009 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $150,748,000 after acquiring an additional 97,235 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 18.7% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 3,131,599 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $147,599,000 after purchasing an additional 492,312 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

SYF stock opened at $51.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $48.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.84. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $27.30 and a one year high of $52.67. The company has a market capitalization of $20.50 billion, a PE ratio of 7.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.61.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.58 billion for 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 previous year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. StockNews.com lowered Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, thirteen have given 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 a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total value of $47,281.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 49,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,510,987.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.