Wright Investors Service Inc. Has $2.81 Million Holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Wright Investors Service Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 15.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,715 shares during the quarter. Synchrony Financial comprises approximately 0.9% of Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $2,807,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 92.7% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Quarry LP increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 301.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 675 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total value of $1,209,221.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,498,831.59. The trade was a 18.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $2,220,253.37. Following the sale, the insider now owns 127,587 shares in the company, valued at $8,291,879.13. This trade represents a 21.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $64.88 on Tuesday. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $35.29 and a 1-year high of $69.39. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.52. The company has a market cap of $25.26 billion, a PE ratio of 8.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.17. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. The company had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SYF. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Compass Point lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.45.

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.