Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Shares Down 7.1%

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) shares were down 7.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $44.47 and last traded at $44.73. Approximately 950,365 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 4,024,556 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SYF. Baird R W upgraded Synchrony Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. BTIG Research began coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.41.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $18.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $48.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.95. 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 (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.06% and a net margin of 13.52%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Insider Activity

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 sale, the insider now directly owns 49,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,510,987.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 49,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,510,987.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 74,698 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 76,251 shares in the company, valued at $3,563,209.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter worth about $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 83.6% in the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors 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.