Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Insider Jonathan S. Mothner Sells 34,163 Shares

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $2,220,253.37. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 127,587 shares in the company, valued at $8,291,879.13. This represents a 21.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

NYSE:SYF traded down $0.40 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $63.65. The stock had a trading volume of 4,105,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,981,904. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.78 billion, a PE ratio of 8.30, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.59. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $29.15 and a 52 week high of $67.76. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $54.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.24. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.17. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 16.64%. The company had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 6.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is currently 13.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 92.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter worth $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter valued at $33,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 83.6% in the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on SYF. Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price target on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.43.

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.