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

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) had its target price increased by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $62.00 to $82.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price points to a potential upside of 18.84% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $60.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.68.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SYF traded up $1.08 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $69.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,751,239 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,926,582. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.01, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.63. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $35.12 and a fifty-two week high of $69.39.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.17. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. The firm had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.76 billion. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 6.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of Synchrony Financial 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 sale, the insider now owns 99,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,498,831.59. The trade was a 18.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $2,220,253.37. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 127,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,291,879.13. This trade represents a 21.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 92.7% in 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 period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter worth $33,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.