Simplicity Solutions LLC Acquires 5,432 Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Simplicity Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 67.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,468 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,432 shares during the period. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SYF. Live Oak Investment Partners acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the third quarter worth $35,000. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 138.8% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 230.5% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 76.2% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on SYF shares. JMP Securities upped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $35.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Synchrony Financial from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Wolfe Research raised Synchrony Financial from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $36.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total transaction of $264,584.78. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,534,503.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 134,696 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.26, for a total value of $5,557,556.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 660,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,246,164.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total transaction of $264,584.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,503.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 148,158 shares of company stock worth $6,106,106 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

NYSE:SYF opened at $40.80 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $26.59 and a 52 week high of $43.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.60 billion, a PE ratio of 7.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.61. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $41.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.27.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.10. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 17.37% and a net margin of 10.68%. The firm had revenue of $5.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 5.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 5th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 2nd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.31%.

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.