Mount Lucas Management LP Has $5.67 Million Holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Mount Lucas Management LP raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 105.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 120,197 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,814 shares during the period. Synchrony Financial makes up approximately 1.6% of Mount Lucas Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Mount Lucas Management LP’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $5,672,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the second quarter worth $33,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 83.6% in the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 786.6% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,055 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 936 shares during the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of SYF traded down $1.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $47.41. The stock had a trading volume of 3,227,559 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,826,824. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.62. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $27.30 and a 1-year high of $52.67.

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

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SYF has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.41.

About Synchrony Financial

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.