6,225 Shares in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Purchased by Kestra Investment Management LLC

Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $405,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Planning raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 30,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,500,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 84.4% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,695 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 1,691 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 31.3% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 386,875 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,297,000 after purchasing an additional 92,196 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $131,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 785 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Synchrony Financial stock opened at $65.59 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $39.26 and a 52 week high of $70.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $66.79 and a 200-day moving average of $58.91.

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

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is presently 11.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on SYF. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.30.

About Synchrony Financial

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.