Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Purchases Shares of 1,700 Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 1,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $110,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $461,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 9,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $604,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.0% in the third quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $491,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.3% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 15,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $773,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 3.9 %

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $61.35 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $23.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.63. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $39.35 and a 52-week high of $70.93.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 11.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SYF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Compass Point downgraded Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays raised Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $79.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued 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.

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.