Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $45.10.

Several research analysts have commented on SYF shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 6.7 %

Shares of NYSE:SYF opened at $47.19 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.23. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $27.30 and a twelve month high of $47.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $18.95 billion, a PE ratio of 6.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.60.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced 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 analysts’ expectations 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 firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 14.35%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 24th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial 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 transaction of $1,420,290.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 121,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,446,890. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SYF. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.8% in the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 285,918 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,958,000 after buying an additional 4,966 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 66.6% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,374,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $274,892,000 after buying an additional 2,548,180 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 13.3% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 10,805 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 1,268 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $2,192,000. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.