Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Price Target Increased to $40.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) had its price target hoisted by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $37.00 to $40.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “underweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential downside of 29.10% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays upped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $46.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.25.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:SYF opened at $56.42 on Thursday. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $27.30 and a 1-year high of $57.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $49.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.60.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released 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. The firm had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.76 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.06% and a net margin of 13.52%. The business’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 5.81 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.73, for a total value of $3,490,637.54. Following the sale, the insider now owns 76,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 49,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,510,987.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $3,490,637.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,563,209.23. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SYF. Boston Partners grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 66.6% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,374,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $274,892,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548,180 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 14.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,726,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $264,917,000 after purchasing an additional 727,649 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 33.5% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,685,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $115,266,000 after buying an additional 674,366 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 400.2% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 842,539 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,751,000 after buying an additional 674,093 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

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.