Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Sells 5,134 Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 30.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,005 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,134 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $780,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Graypoint LLC raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 4.0% during the third quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $491,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 1.3% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 15,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $773,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 20,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. CX Institutional now owns 5,755 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $374,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $68.76 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $26.77 billion, a PE ratio of 8.98, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $66.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.14. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $37.91 and a 52-week high of $70.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 6.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 13.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on SYF shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Compass Point downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.05.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total value of $1,209,221.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,498,831.59. The trade was a 18.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $2,220,253.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 127,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,291,879.13. This represents a 21.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.