Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Monday morning.

SYF has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded Synchrony Financial from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $40.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays raised Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $79.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.10.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $55.18 on Monday. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $39.67 and a 1 year high of $70.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market cap of $21.45 billion, a PE ratio of 6.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.43.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 15.36%. On average, research analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 11.71%.

Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 111.5% during the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 92.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

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.