Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-one analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $63.95.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SYF. UBS Group increased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Compass Point lowered Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $44.00 price objective (down from $82.00) on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 8.6%

Shares of NYSE:SYF opened at $60.43 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $51.49 and its 200 day moving average is $60.28. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $40.55 and a 1 year high of $70.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.80 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 15.36%. On average, research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. This is an increase from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SYF. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $452,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 178,811 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,787,000 after acquiring an additional 12,492 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $423,000. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 25,622 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,665,000 after acquiring an additional 6,120 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

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.

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