Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Bought by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 34.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 521,062 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 132,143 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned about 0.13% of Synchrony Financial worth $25,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Factorial Partners LLC increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 12.2% during the third quarter. Factorial Partners LLC now owns 101,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,038,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 57,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,891,000 after buying an additional 4,417 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,690,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 1,166.6% during the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 53,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,661,000 after acquiring an additional 49,136 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 20.8% in the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 46,333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,311,000 after acquiring an additional 7,985 shares during the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on SYF. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $72.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total value of $1,209,221.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 99,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,498,831.59. This trade represents a 18.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $2,220,253.37. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 127,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,291,879.13. This trade represents a 21.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF opened at $65.99 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $67.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $55.81 and its 200-day moving average is $49.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.76 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 6.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.05%.

Synchrony Financial Company 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.