Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Sells 3,242 Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lowered its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,242 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $1,848,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SYF. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 313,109 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,352,000 after acquiring an additional 36,021 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,609,000. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 4,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $347,903,000. Finally, Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,473,000. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 3.5 %

NYSE SYF opened at $55.11 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.67. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $39.67 and a one year high of $70.93. The firm has a market cap of $21.42 billion, a PE ratio of 6.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SYF. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Barclays raised Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $59.00 to $79.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.10.

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.