Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Sold by Hosking Partners LLP

Hosking Partners LLP trimmed its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 8.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 794,623 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 70,575 shares during the quarter. Synchrony Financial makes up about 2.0% of Hosking Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Hosking Partners LLP owned 0.20% of Synchrony Financial worth $51,650,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SYF. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 310,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,193,000 after purchasing an additional 12,530 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,530,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 21,203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,378,000 after buying an additional 3,824 shares in the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 161,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,484,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the period. Finally, Impact Investors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $292,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of SYF opened at $59.12 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $39.67 and a 12-month high of $70.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $66.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 11.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised shares of Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $59.00 to $79.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Synchrony Financial from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $40.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.30.

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.