Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Holdings Decreased by Community Trust & Investment Co.

Community Trust & Investment Co. trimmed its position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF – Get Rating) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 285,842 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,993 shares during the quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. owned approximately 0.06% of Synchrony Financial worth $9,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 16,251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $566,000 after purchasing an additional 1,205 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 30.3% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 7,753 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 1.5% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 69,748 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,428,000 after buying an additional 1,057 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 2.3% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 101,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,520,000 after purchasing an additional 2,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 0.9% in the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 962,162 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,493,000 after acquiring an additional 8,110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 24th. Credit Suisse Group cut their target price on Synchrony Financial from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 24th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $56.00 to $53.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Bart Schaller sold 11,071 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total value of $401,323.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 71,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,597,820. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Alberto Casellas sold 39,460 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total transaction of $1,426,084.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 70,040 shares in the company, valued at $2,531,245.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bart Schaller sold 11,071 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total transaction of $401,323.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 71,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,597,820. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

SYF traded down $0.67 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $28.49. 11,365,258 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,999,842. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.45 billion, a PE ratio of 4.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is $34.70 and its 200 day moving average is $33.86. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $27.22 and a 52 week high of $41.88.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.14. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 17.51% and a return on equity of 24.07%. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 5.07 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.08%.

Synchrony Financial Company Profile

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Synchrony Financial engages in the provision of consumer financial services. The firm is also involved in managing credit products through the following sales platforms: Home and Auto, Digital, Diversified and Value, Health and Wellness, and Lifestyle. The company was founded on September 12, 2003 and is headquartered in Stamford, CT.