MRA Advisory Group Invests $218,000 in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

MRA Advisory Group bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 4,613 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 2,548,180 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 995.4% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,599,443 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $241,448,000 after buying an additional 5,088,262 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $182,739,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,588,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $137,032,000 after buying an additional 165,369 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.9% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total value of $3,490,637.54. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at $3,563,209.23. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were 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 $3,563,209.23. The sale 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 the business’s 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 49,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,510,987.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock opened at $47.41 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $48.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.81. 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 market cap of $19.04 billion, a PE ratio of 6.80, a P/E/G 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates 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 firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors 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 yield of 2.11%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 14.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on SYF. Compass Point started coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Synchrony Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial currently 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.