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

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.41.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on SYF shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $42.00 to $41.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Bank of America raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total transaction of $47,281.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 49,390 shares in the company, valued at $2,510,987.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total value of $3,490,637.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total transaction of $47,281.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 49,390 shares in the company, valued at $2,510,987.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SYF. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the second quarter valued at $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the second quarter worth about $39,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of SYF stock opened at $49.19 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.70. The company has a market capitalization of $19.44 billion, a PE ratio of 7.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.62. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $27.30 and a twelve month high of $52.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 16.06%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.35%.

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.