Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Buys 48,382 Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 76.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 111,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 48,382 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $7,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $444,000. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 57.2% in the second quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 77,928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,677,000 after acquiring an additional 28,343 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 8.4% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 428,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,234,000 after purchasing an additional 33,334 shares during the period. MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,477,000. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,325,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

NYSE SYF opened at $70.52 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $66.64 and its 200-day moving average is $56.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $27.46 billion, a PE ratio of 9.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.64. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $37.74 and a 12-month high of $70.93.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SYF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 127,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,291,879.13. This represents a 21.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares in the company, valued at $5,498,831.59. This trade represents a 18.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.