Kerusso Capital Management LLC Makes New $3.46 Million Investment in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Kerusso Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 73,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,459,000. Synchrony Financial comprises about 2.5% of Kerusso Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the second quarter worth $33,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 83.6% during the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in Synchrony Financial in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 786.6% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,055 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 936 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total transaction of $47,281.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 49,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,510,987.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total transaction of $47,281.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 49,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,510,987.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total value of $3,490,637.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on SYF. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $42.00 to $41.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Barclays increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.41.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

SYF stock opened at $47.41 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $48.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.81. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $27.30 and a 1 year high of $52.67. The stock has a market cap of $19.04 billion, a PE ratio of 6.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.06% and a net margin of 13.52%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 5th. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 14.35%.

Synchrony Financial 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.