Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC Boosts Holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,741 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $568,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 111.5% in the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 92.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 151.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 807 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $54.77 on Monday. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $39.67 and a 1 year high of $70.93. The stock has a market cap of $21.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $64.91 and a 200 day moving average of $60.07. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SYF shares. Barclays upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $79.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $60.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.30.

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.