Brokerages Set Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) PT at $40.88

Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.88.

Several research firms have issued reports on SYF. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $40.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 18th.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

NYSE SYF traded up $1.23 on Monday, hitting $42.51. The stock had a trading volume of 4,561,270 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,520,123. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $26.59 and a 52-week high of $43.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $17.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.85 and a 200-day moving average of $35.79.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.10. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 17.37%. The business had revenue of $5.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 5th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is 19.31%.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total value of $264,584.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,534,503.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total transaction of $264,584.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,534,503.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David P. Melito sold 7,283 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.99, for a total transaction of $283,964.17. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,183 shares of the company's stock, valued at $552,995.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,158 shares of company stock valued at $6,106,106. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 4.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,707,427 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $113,336,000 after buying an additional 145,466 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 51.1% during the third quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 46,331 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,416,000 after buying an additional 15,666 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 2.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,054,697 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $62,812,000 after buying an additional 50,495 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 0.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,422,790 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $104,635,000 after buying an additional 16,817 shares during the period. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $800,000. 96.48% of the stock is 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.