150,832 Synchrony Financial $SYF Shares Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 67.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 150,832 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $5,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $2,349,452,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,122,961,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,039,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $410,760,000 after buying an additional 365,353 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5.6% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,338,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $363,098,000 after acquiring an additional 281,451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,338,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $295,112,000 after purchasing an additional 37,114 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Synchrony Financial from $90.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $83.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Synchrony Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.78.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Synchrony Financial stock opened at $71.71 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $63.08 and a 52-week high of $88.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $74.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 20th. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $3.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 14.59% and a return on equity of 22.26%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 5th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.20%.

About Synchrony Financial

Synchrony Financial is a consumer financial services company that provides credit products and related services through partnerships with retailers, healthcare providers and other businesses. Its offerings include private-label and co-branded credit cards, installment loans and promotional financing options. The company also provides consumer banking products, including savings accounts and certificates of deposit. Its financing solutions serve customers in areas such as retail, home improvement, automotive, health and wellness, and digital commerce, primarily in the United States.