Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Stock Position Lowered by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp trimmed its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 685,018 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 71,757 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $44,526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 4,600,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $229,448,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265,000 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 389.8% in the third quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 1,138,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,797,000 after purchasing an additional 906,172 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Synchrony Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,088,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,083,329 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $200,756,000 after buying an additional 481,750 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 71.1% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,130,266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,378,000 after buying an additional 469,772 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:SYF opened at $55.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $62.03 and its 200-day moving average is $60.47. The company has a market cap of $21.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.67. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $39.67 and a 52-week high of $70.93.

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

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SYF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $59.00 to $79.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Compass Point downgraded Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley raised Synchrony Financial from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $40.00 to $82.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $65.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.10.

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.