Polymer Capital Management HK LTD Purchases Shares of 39,893 Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Polymer Capital Management HK LTD acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 39,893 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,593,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SYF. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $461,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 9,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 19.7% during the fourth 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. Wedmont Private Capital grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $491,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 20,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,314,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 6.0 %

Synchrony Financial stock opened at $43.76 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $39.67 and a 52-week high of $70.93. The company has a market cap of $17.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.62.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SYF shares. Barclays raised shares of Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $59.00 to $79.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Compass Point cut 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.26.

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.