Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Share Price Crosses Above Fifty Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $64.48 and traded as high as $66.09. Synchrony Financial shares last traded at $65.25, with a volume of 2,353,960 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SYF. Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price target on Synchrony Financial in a report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $64.00 to $72.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. BTIG Research lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $63.63.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 2.3 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.00 billion, a PE ratio of 8.72, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.17. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 16.64%. The company had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial's revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 6.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.50%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total value of $1,209,221.42. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,498,831.59. This trade represents a 18.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $2,220,253.37. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 92.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 301.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 899 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company's stock.

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.