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

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

SYF has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Tuesday, June 11th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.41.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

SYF opened at $49.58 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $27.30 and a 52 week high of $52.67. The business’s 50 day moving average is $48.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.72. The firm has a market cap of $19.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.62.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 16.06%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Bart Schaller sold 930 shares of Synchrony Financial 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 sale, the insider now owns 49,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,510,987.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 0.5% during the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 52,242 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,465,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 35,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,518,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Certuity LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 31,326 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,478,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 90,343 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,896,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

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.