Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $57.43.

SYF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Compass Point raised their target price on Synchrony Financial from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 target price on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 0.6 %

SYF traded down $0.40 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $63.65. 4,105,814 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,981,904. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.59. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $67.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $54.34 and a 200 day moving average of $49.24.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 6.52 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.05%.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 127,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,291,879.13. This trade represents a 21.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total transaction of $1,209,221.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares in the company, valued at $5,498,831.59. This trade represents a 18.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Partners boosted its position in shares of 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. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 37.9% in the 3rd quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 4,600,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $229,448,000 after buying an additional 1,265,000 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 402.8% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520,209 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $71,739,000 after acquiring an additional 1,217,872 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 389.8% in the third quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 1,138,672 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,797,000 after acquiring an additional 906,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Soros Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,088,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.