DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Has $11.96 Million Stock Holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 285,918 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,966 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned 0.07% of Synchrony Financial worth $11,958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 37,997 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,451,000 after buying an additional 1,604 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 11,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $437,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,962,000. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on SYF. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $42.00 to $41.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Baird R W raised shares of Synchrony Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 28th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.50.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

SYF stock traded down $3.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.99. 6,431,068 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,372,373. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $27.30 and a one year high of $52.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.63. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $46.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 16.06%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 5.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

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.