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

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $65.43.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial started coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $72.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $79.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Compass Point boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE:SYF opened at $63.77 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.64. The business’s 50-day moving average is $65.72 and its 200 day moving average is $55.38. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $35.29 and a 1 year high of $69.39.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 6.51 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.05%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SYF. Graypoint LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 1.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 20,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $387,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.