605,071 Shares in Synchrony Financial $SYF Acquired by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 605,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $40,382,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 337.0% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 8,514 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $595,980.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 68,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,801,160. This trade represents a 11.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 600 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.95, for a total value of $40,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,452,227.40. The trade was a 2.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. JMP Securities increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Synchrony Financial to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.68.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

SYF stock opened at $71.24 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $40.54 and a 52-week high of $77.41. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.50.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.78. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 21.34% and a net margin of 14.43%.The business had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.55 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.56%.

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.