Integrated Advisors Network LLC Lowers Stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Integrated Advisors Network LLC lowered its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 54.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,895 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,928 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $259,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,085 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $200,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 9,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,099 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 11,505 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $748,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. Finally, Invst LLC boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 20,560 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,336,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 2.7%

SYF stock opened at $59.76 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $40.55 and a 52 week high of $70.93. The company has a market capitalization of $22.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $54.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.75. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.80 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. On average, analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 5th were given a $0.30 dividend. This is an increase from Synchrony Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SYF shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Cfra Research raised shares of Synchrony Financial to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.78.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 40,639 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total transaction of $2,441,184.73. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 146,628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,807,943.96. The trade was a 21.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Synchrony Financial 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.