Synchrony Financial (SYF) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) will announce its earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.64 per share for the quarter. Investors that are interested in registering for the company's conference call can do so using this link.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.10. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 17.37% and a net margin of 10.68%. The company had revenue of $5.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.26 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Synchrony Financial to post $6 EPS for the current fiscal year and $6 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SYF traded down $0.55 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $39.93. The company had a trading volume of 4,029,231 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,412,885. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $26.59 and a one year high of $43.83. The firm has a market cap of $16.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.73, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.61. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $41.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.15.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Monday, February 5th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 2nd. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 19.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SYF shares. BMO Capital Markets cut Synchrony Financial from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Synchrony Financial from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $41.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider David P. Melito sold 7,283 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.99, for a total transaction of $283,964.17. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,183 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $552,995.17. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total transaction of $264,584.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,534,503.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David P. Melito sold 7,283 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.99, for a total value of $283,964.17. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,183 shares of the company's stock, valued at $552,995.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 148,158 shares of company stock valued at $6,106,106 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 45.0% during the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 5,086 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,579 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 71.1% in the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 4,695 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $154,000 after acquiring an additional 1,951 shares during the period. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $127,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the second quarter worth about $123,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,673 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.