Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Sells 19,152 Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 14.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 115,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 19,152 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $7,504,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 19.0% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $152,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $2,331,000. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $407,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total transaction of $1,209,221.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,498,831.59. This represents a 18.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $2,220,253.37. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 127,587 shares in the company, valued at $8,291,879.13. This trade represents a 21.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE SYF opened at $69.47 on Wednesday. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $36.85 and a 52 week high of $69.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $66.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.07, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.64.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 13.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SYF. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $60.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com raised Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.45.

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.