Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

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

SYF has been the subject of several other reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $59.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.10.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of NYSE SYF traded up $1.81 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $55.83. 2,960,168 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,659,035. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $62.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $21.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.67. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $39.67 and a 52-week high of $70.93.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 18.30%. Equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,963,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $650,678,000 after purchasing an additional 205,641 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,509,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $358,105,000 after acquiring an additional 380,870 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $347,903,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,183,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $336,942,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 37.9% in the third quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 4,600,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $229,448,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265,000 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.