Synchrony Financial (SYF) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) is set to post its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, July 17th. Analysts expect Synchrony Financial to post earnings of $1.34 per share for the quarter. Investors interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.19). Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 13.49%. The company had revenue of $5.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.35 EPS. On average, analysts expect Synchrony Financial to post $6 EPS for the current fiscal year and $6 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:SYF opened at $50.72 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $44.94 and its 200-day moving average is $42.10. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $27.30 and a 52-week high of $51.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $20.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.28, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.63.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 24th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Curtis Howse sold 31,562 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $1,420,290.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 121,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,446,890. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SYF. Baird R W upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $37.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $56.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.41.

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.