Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC Sells 23,103 Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 25.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 23,103 shares during the period. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $4,298,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 22.7% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 957,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,773,000 after purchasing an additional 177,051 shares during the period. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth $452,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 119.0% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 243,040 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,123,000 after acquiring an additional 132,047 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 178,811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,787,000 after purchasing an additional 12,492 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brophy Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the third quarter worth $544,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock opened at $59.39 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $23.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.63. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $39.67 and a twelve month high of $70.93. The company’s fifty day moving average is $66.24 and its 200 day moving average is $59.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 15.36%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on SYF. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.30.

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.