21,000 Shares in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Bought by Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 21,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,365,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SYF. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 30,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,500,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 84.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,695 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 1,691 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 386,875 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,297,000 after purchasing an additional 92,196 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $131,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 785 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on SYF. Barclays upgraded Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $59.00 to $79.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of 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 report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.30.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

SYF opened at $65.59 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.50 billion, a PE ratio of 7.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.91. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $39.26 and a 1 year high of $70.93.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.71%.

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.