14,390 Shares in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Acquired by Everence Capital Management Inc.

Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 14,390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $550,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Delphia USA Inc. boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Delphia USA Inc. now owns 9,578 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $423,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 9,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF opened at $39.68 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.14 billion, a PE ratio of 7.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.61. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $26.59 and a one year high of $43.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $41.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.24.

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

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 19.31%.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 134,696 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.26, for a total transaction of $5,557,556.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 660,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,246,164.78. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 134,696 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.26, for a total transaction of $5,557,556.96. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 660,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,246,164.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of Synchrony Financial 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 sale, the insider now owns 152,604 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,503.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 148,158 shares of company stock worth $6,106,106. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on SYF shares. JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $35.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $41.44.

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.