Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Acquired by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 28.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 162,955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,599 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $6,223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC now owns 42,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 9,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Partners II LLC grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.3% in the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 15,864 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of SYF opened at $46.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The company has a market capitalization of $18.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s 50-day moving average is $42.45 and its 200-day moving average is $37.79. Synchrony Financial has a fifty-two week low of $26.67 and a fifty-two week high of $46.72.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.19). Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 13.49%. The company had revenue of $5.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 5.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.35%.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SYF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.74.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total value of $264,584.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 152,604 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,503.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total transaction of $264,584.78. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,534,503.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 134,696 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.26, for a total value of $5,557,556.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 660,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,246,164.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 172,437 shares of company stock valued at $7,242,432 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.65% 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.