Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Price Target Raised to $55.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) had its price target upped by Jefferies Financial Group from $50.00 to $55.00 in a report published on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Several other analysts also recently commented on SYF. Bank of America raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an underweight rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised 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 research note on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $46.41.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of SYF stock traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $48.46. The company had a trading volume of 3,225,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,284,609. The company has a 50 day moving average of $44.62 and a 200 day moving average of $41.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market cap of $19.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.63. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $27.30 and a 1-year high of $48.97.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $5.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 16.01%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 3rd. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 31,562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $1,420,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 121,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,446,890. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,604 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 0.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 38,247 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,649,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 0.7% during the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 35,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,518,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 0.3% during the first quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 90,343 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,896,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 34,804 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,329,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.