Insider Selling: Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Insider Sells 21,934 Shares of Stock

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,498,831.59. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SYF opened at $67.51 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.59. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $51.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.05. Synchrony Financial has a fifty-two week low of $28.84 and a fifty-two week high of $67.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.17. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 16.64%. The business had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SYF shares. Compass Point raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 23.8% in the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 99,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,694,000 after buying an additional 19,098 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 1st quarter valued at $2,192,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 98.6% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 11,846 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 52.6% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 490,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,134,000 after acquiring an additional 168,920 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.1% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 998,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,011,000 after acquiring an additional 30,366 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.