Brighton Jones LLC Has $1.98 Million Stock Position in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 83.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 27,836 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,628 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $1,978,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 56.5% in the 2nd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 370,383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,719,000 after buying an additional 133,780 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 6.1% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,266,366 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $284,737,000 after acquiring an additional 245,527 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the first quarter worth $397,000. Maverick Capital Ltd. grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 149.9% in the first quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 11,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 6,784 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 130,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,580 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SYF opened at $85.88 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $76.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.38, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.46. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $40.54 and a one year high of $86.22.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $3.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 22.96%. The firm’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 5th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.10%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 3.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SYF shares. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, December 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $92.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.33.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 12,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total transaction of $894,605.72. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 108,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,014,219.42. This trade represents a 10.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 2,989 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total value of $221,245.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,191,425.92. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 55,075 shares of company stock valued at $4,036,892 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Company Profile

Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) is a consumer financial services company that specializes in providing point-of-sale financing and private-label, co-branded and branded credit card programs. The company serves as a payments and lending partner to retailers, digital merchants and service providers, offering consumer financing solutions designed to drive customer engagement and sales. Synchrony also operates a direct bank that offers deposit products, including savings accounts and certificates of deposit, which support its funding and customer-facing product suite.

Its core product set includes private-label and co-branded credit cards, general-purpose credit cards, installment loan programs and promotional financing options that are integrated into merchants’ checkout experiences.