Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.17.

Several analysts have commented on SYF shares. BTIG Research upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $48.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $72.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.12 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $40.54 and a 1 year high of $73.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $64.24 and its 200-day moving average is $60.00.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.78. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.71 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 21.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.55 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.56%.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 40,639 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total transaction of $2,441,184.73. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 146,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,807,943.96. This trade represents a 21.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 11,380 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $739,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 108,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,024,030. This trade represents a 9.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NorthRock Partners LLC increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 31.4% during the 2nd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 11,695 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 2,792 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 18.3% during the 2nd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 34,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,294,000 after purchasing an additional 5,313 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 12,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 634 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 23.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,009 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $601,000 after purchasing an additional 1,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MGO One Seven LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $202,000. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

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.