Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Compass Point Analyst Says

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) had its price objective lifted by Compass Point from $60.00 to $77.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Compass Point currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen upped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.53.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock opened at $68.55 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.69 billion, a PE ratio of 8.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.83. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $35.23 and a one year high of $69.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.17. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. The business had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 6.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.05%.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.13, for a total value of $1,209,221.42. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 99,743 shares in the company, valued at $5,498,831.59. The trade was a 18.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $2,220,253.37. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 127,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,291,879.13. The trade was a 21.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SYF. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 37.9% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 402.8% in the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $71,739,000 after purchasing an additional 1,217,872 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 389.8% in the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 1,138,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,797,000 after purchasing an additional 906,172 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,088,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,726,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $264,917,000 after buying an additional 727,649 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.