Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.88.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SYF shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 18th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Synchrony Financial from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $50.00 in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $40.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider David P. Melito sold 7,283 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.99, for a total value of $283,964.17. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $552,995.17. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total value of $264,584.78. Following the sale, the insider now owns 152,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,534,503.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider David P. Melito sold 7,283 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.99, for a total transaction of $283,964.17. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,995.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 148,158 shares of company stock valued at $6,106,106. 0.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Live Oak Investment Partners bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 138.8% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 230.5% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 855 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 76.2% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

SYF opened at $41.28 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.72. The firm has a market cap of $16.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.97, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.61. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $26.59 and a twelve month high of $43.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $5.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 17.37%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Monday, February 5th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 2nd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.31%.

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.