Whittier Trust Co. Sells 395 Shares of Synchrony Financial $SYF

Whittier Trust Co. decreased its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,905 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 395 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $211,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 36.3% during the first quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 0.8% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 25,806 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 3.7% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 5,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 2.6% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 9,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of SYF stock opened at $73.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $73.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $27.24 billion, a PE ratio of 7.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.50. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $40.54 and a 12-month high of $77.41.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.64. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 22.96%. The firm had revenue of $3.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 3.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 5th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 5th. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is presently 13.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Darrell Owens sold 600 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.95, for a total value of $40,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 21,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,452,227.40. The trade was a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 8,514 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $595,980.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 68,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,801,160. The trade was a 11.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 17th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.38.

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.