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

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on SYF. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Synchrony Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. One equities research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.41.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of SYF opened at $49.58 on Tuesday. Synchrony Financial has a 12 month low of $27.30 and a 12 month high of $52.67. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $48.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market cap of $19.60 billion, a PE ratio of 7.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.62.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly 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. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.06% and a net margin of 13.52%. The firm had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 83.6% in the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 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.