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

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation, thirteen have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $50.41.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on SYF shares. StockNews.com raised Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 1.2 %

Synchrony Financial stock opened at $49.65 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $48.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $19.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.62. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $27.30 and a twelve month high of $52.67.

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

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Boston Partners boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 66.6% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,374,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $274,892,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548,180 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 402.8% in the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $71,739,000 after buying an additional 1,217,872 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 14.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,726,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $264,917,000 after buying an additional 727,649 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 33.5% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,685,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $115,266,000 after purchasing an additional 674,366 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 400.2% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 842,539 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,751,000 after purchasing an additional 674,093 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.