AdvisorShares Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Synchrony Financial $SYF

AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $467,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 337.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 36.3% during the 1st quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, CNB Bank boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 20,366.7% during the 2nd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 614 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of SYF stock opened at $73.53 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $73.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $26.48 billion, a PE ratio of 8.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.50. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $40.54 and a 12-month high of $77.41.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $3.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 22.96%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 3.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 5th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.10%.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 8,514 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $595,980.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 68,588 shares in the company, valued at $4,801,160. The trade was a 11.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 600 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.95, for a total transaction of $40,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 21,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,452,227.40. This trade represents a 2.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on SYF. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, August 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $72.00 price objective for the company. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.38.

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.