Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $61.53.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SYF. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Compass Point increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF stock opened at $63.59 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24.76 billion, a PE ratio of 8.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $62.11 and a 200-day moving average of $52.67. 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 has a one year low of $35.29 and a one year high of $69.39.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted 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 return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. The business had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 EPS. Synchrony Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.05%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $2,220,253.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 127,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,291,879.13. This trade represents a 21.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,498,831.59. This represents a 18.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Graypoint LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 1.3% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 15,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $773,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 1.1% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,995 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $997,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $387,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 52,242 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,465,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the period. 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.