Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Acquires 2,400 Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 33.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 92.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 111.5% during the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 301.3% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 151.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 807 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

NYSE SYF opened at $53.42 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $63.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.14. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $39.67 and a 12-month high of $70.93. The company has a market capitalization of $20.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 15.36%. Analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is currently 11.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on SYF shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays raised Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $59.00 to $79.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.30.

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.