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

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.30.

SYF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 target price on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 127,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,291,879.13. The trade was a 21.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $461,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 9,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $491,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 15,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $773,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock opened at $68.90 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $67.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.07, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.64. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $37.91 and a 52 week high of $70.93.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 15.36%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 6.73 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 11.71%.

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.