Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Upgraded by Barclays to Overweight Rating

Barclays upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note released on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. Barclays currently has $79.00 price objective on the financial services provider's stock, up from their prior price objective of $59.00.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on SYF. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Synchrony Financial from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $40.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday, October 14th. BTIG Research downgraded Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Synchrony Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $64.63.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SYF traded up $0.81 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $67.59. The company had a trading volume of 3,180,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,483,422. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $35.29 and a 12-month high of $69.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $64.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.64. The company has a market cap of $26.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.82, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.17. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. The business had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 6.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $2,220,253.37. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 127,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,291,879.13. This trade represents a 21.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 63,672 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,139,000 after purchasing an additional 14,255 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,083,329 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $200,756,000 after buying an additional 481,750 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $123,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,286 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $539,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 487,720 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $24,327,000 after acquiring an additional 10,294 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.