KBC Group NV Sells 35,243 Shares of Synchrony Financial $SYF

KBC Group NV lessened its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 3.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,071,124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 35,243 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $72,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SYF. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total transaction of $3,651,107.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 132,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,449,656.72. The trade was a 27.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. HSBC boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.32.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of SYF stock opened at $73.48 on Tuesday. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $63.08 and a 52-week high of $88.77. The stock has a market cap of $24.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.60, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $73.17 and its 200-day moving average is $73.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.13. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.41% and a net margin of 15.80%.The company had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, April 21st that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About Synchrony Financial

Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) is a consumer financial services company that specializes in providing point-of-sale financing and private-label, co-branded and branded credit card programs. The company serves as a payments and lending partner to retailers, digital merchants and service providers, offering consumer financing solutions designed to drive customer engagement and sales. Synchrony also operates a direct bank that offers deposit products, including savings accounts and certificates of deposit, which support its funding and customer-facing product suite.

Its core product set includes private-label and co-branded credit cards, general-purpose credit cards, installment loan programs and promotional financing options that are integrated into merchants’ checkout experiences.