Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Rating Lowered to “Neutral” at Compass Point

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) was downgraded by investment analysts at Compass Point from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. They presently have a $70.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. Compass Point’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 4.98% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $59.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.50.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

SYF stock traded down $3.18 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $66.68. The company had a trading volume of 8,106,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,125,898. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $66.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $25.96 billion, a PE ratio of 8.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.64. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $37.91 and a 1-year high of $70.93.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.02. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 13.98%. On average, analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 6.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares in the company, valued at $5,498,831.59. This trade represents a 18.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $2,220,253.37. Following the sale, the insider now owns 127,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,291,879.13. The trade was a 21.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SYF. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 4,600,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $229,448,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265,000 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 3.7% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 4,447,275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $221,830,000 after purchasing an additional 157,948 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,083,329 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $200,756,000 after purchasing an additional 481,750 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.7% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,199,554 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $109,714,000 after buying an additional 37,484 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 8.4% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,061,979 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $102,852,000 after buying an additional 158,960 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.