Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning.

SYF has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an underweight rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. BTIG Research downgraded Synchrony Financial from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $50.41.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE SYF opened at $49.56 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $48.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.74. The company has a market capitalization of $19.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.62. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $27.30 and a 1-year high of $52.67.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.06% and a net margin of 13.52%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total value of $3,490,637.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total transaction of $47,281.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 49,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,510,987.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total value of $3,490,637.54. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 76,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 396.4% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 276,988 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,816,000 after purchasing an additional 221,191 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 80,511 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,016,000 after buying an additional 3,992 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 2,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 72.0% during the 2nd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 111,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,276,000 after buying an additional 46,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $86,000. 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.