CSM Advisors LLC Makes New $31.39 Million Investment in Synchrony Financial $SYF

CSM Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 470,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $31,391,000. Synchrony Financial accounts for about 0.9% of CSM Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. CSM Advisors LLC owned about 0.13% of Synchrony Financial as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 727,322 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $48,541,000 after purchasing an additional 31,891 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 15.1% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,106 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 39.4% in the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,956,585 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $130,582,000 after buying an additional 553,281 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 45.3% in the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 14,430 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $963,000 after buying an additional 4,500 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5,787.5% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 471 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Curtis Howse sold 12,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total transaction of $894,605.72. Following the transaction, the insider owned 108,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,014,219.42. The trade was a 10.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 2,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total value of $221,245.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,096 shares in the company, valued at $1,191,425.92. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 23,075 shares of company stock worth $1,707,292 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:SYF opened at $73.17 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $40.54 and a twelve month high of $77.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.51. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $73.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.70.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $3.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.79 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 22.96%. The firm’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, October 15th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $73.00 to $81.00 in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Barclays upped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.38.

Synchrony Financial 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.