Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Synchrony Financial was upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, indicating improved analyst sentiment regarding the company's stock performance.
• Multiple brokerages have raised their price targets for Synchrony Financial, with Bank of America increasing it to $80.00 and JMP Securities to $77.00, reflecting positive expectations for the company's financial outlook.
• Insider trading activity has been noted, with significant sales by executives, as one insider sold 11,380 shares for $739,700, representing a 9.53% decrease in their ownership.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

SYF has been the subject of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $48.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Synchrony Financial to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.79.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $76.56. 8,186,388 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,819,531. Synchrony Financial has a fifty-two week low of $40.54 and a fifty-two week high of $77.41. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $28.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.49.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.78. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.71 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 21.34%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.55 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Darrell Owens sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.95, for a total transaction of $40,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 21,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,452,227.40. This represents a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 8,514 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $595,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 68,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,801,160. This trade represents a 11.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 20,494 shares of company stock worth $1,376,450. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SYF. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 15.1% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,106 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,168 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 627 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 6.0% during the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,240 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 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.