Monument Capital Management Increases Stock Holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Monument Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,323 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $2,875,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 4,868 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Bogart Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $227,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 178,811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,787,000 after acquiring an additional 12,492 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $65.19 on Monday. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $39.26 and a 52-week high of $70.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market cap of $25.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $66.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.55.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.45 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on SYF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.