MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Has $9.54 Million Stock Position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 7.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 221,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,409 shares during the quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.05% of Synchrony Financial worth $9,544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 56.6% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,445 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial in the 1st quarter valued at $60,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SYF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on Synchrony Financial from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Baird R W upgraded Synchrony Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Tuesday, June 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.10.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock traded down $0.08 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $48.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,807,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,319,482. The stock has a market cap of $19.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $27.30 and a 52 week high of $48.59. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $44.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.37.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.19). Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The company had revenue of $5.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.35 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, May 6th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 31,562 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $1,420,290.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 121,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,446,890. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.