CSM Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Synchrony Financial $SYF

CSM Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 4.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 448,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 21,695 shares during the period. Synchrony Financial accounts for 0.9% of CSM Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. CSM Advisors LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $31,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SYF. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5.4% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,335,213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,018,517,000 after purchasing an additional 739,832 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 8.3% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,307,077 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $354,194,000 after purchasing an additional 406,796 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,542,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $318,236,000 after purchasing an additional 333,093 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $299,360,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 48.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,349,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $309,001,000 after purchasing an additional 1,416,909 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $63.79 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $40.54 and a 12-month high of $88.77. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.17 billion, a PE ratio of 6.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.84 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 15.72%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.91 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is currently 12.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Alberto Casellas sold 14,399 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total value of $974,956.29. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,331 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,407,912.01. The trade was a 22.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 52,556 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.32, for a total transaction of $3,800,849.92. Following the transaction, the insider owned 94,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,812,254.72. This trade represents a 35.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 379,928 shares of company stock valued at $26,170,764 in the last three months. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Wolfe Research started coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $92.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.11.

Synchrony Financial Profile

Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) is a consumer financial services company that specializes in providing point-of-sale financing and private-label, co-branded and branded credit card programs. The company serves as a payments and lending partner to retailers, digital merchants and service providers, offering consumer financing solutions designed to drive customer engagement and sales. Synchrony also operates a direct bank that offers deposit products, including savings accounts and certificates of deposit, which support its funding and customer-facing product suite.

Its core product set includes private-label and co-branded credit cards, general-purpose credit cards, installment loan programs and promotional financing options that are integrated into merchants’ checkout experiences.