Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Bought by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 231.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 559,510 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 390,602 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $36,368,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial in the third quarter worth about $276,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 1.1% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,995 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $997,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 4.8% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 42,216 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 39.6% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 5.4% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,426 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $353,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SYF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley raised Synchrony Financial from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $40.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.30.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $55.81 on Thursday. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $39.67 and a one year high of $70.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.70 billion, a PE ratio of 6.54, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $65.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.88.

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

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 11.71%.

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.