Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Stock Price

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) had its price target raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $82.00 to $86.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on SYF. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $52.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Synchrony Financial to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.68.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Synchrony Financial stock opened at $71.24 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.65, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $40.54 and a 52-week high of $77.41.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.78. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.71 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 21.34%. Synchrony Financial’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.55 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 8,514 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $595,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 68,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,801,160. This trade represents a 11.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.95, for a total transaction of $40,770.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,452,227.40. The trade was a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 220.8% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 64,145 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,169,000 after buying an additional 44,150 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5,889.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 496,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,272,000 after acquiring an additional 487,974 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 7.1% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 930,362 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,253,000 after purchasing an additional 61,436 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 5.8% in the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 89,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,727,000 after purchasing an additional 4,871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 70.2% in the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 10,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 4,397 shares during the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently 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.