Analysts Set Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) PT at $56.60

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $57.43.

A number of research firms have commented on SYF. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $72.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF stock opened at $67.04 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $29.15 and a one year high of $67.76. The company’s 50-day moving average is $56.21 and its 200 day moving average is $49.92.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 16.64%. The business’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 6.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.05%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,498,831.59. This represents a 18.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 92.7% in 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. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the second quarter worth $33,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 83.6% during the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter valued at $39,000. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.