Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Upgraded by Morgan Stanley to "Overweight" Rating

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $82.00 target price on the financial services provider's stock, up from their previous target price of $40.00. Morgan Stanley's price target points to a potential upside of 27.59% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on SYF. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Synchrony Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price target on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target 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. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Six research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.63.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of SYF traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $64.27. The stock had a trading volume of 4,460,802 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,925,341. The business has a fifty day moving average of $62.11 and a 200 day moving average of $52.67. 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 has a 12 month low of $35.29 and a 12 month high of $69.39. The firm has a market cap of $25.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.39, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.63.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. The firm had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 6.51 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 127,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,291,879.13. This represents a 21.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were 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 owns 99,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,498,831.59. This trade represents a 18.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 92.7% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the second quarter worth about $33,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 716 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. 96.48% of the stock is 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.