Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank of Canada Analyst Says

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) had its price objective boosted by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $70.00 to $73.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector perform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target suggests a potential upside of 6.34% from the stock’s previous close.

SYF has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $62.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $72.50 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Synchrony Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $60.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.05.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of SYF stock traded up $1.99 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $68.65. The company had a trading volume of 2,268,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,151,141. The firm has a market cap of $26.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.97, a P/E/G 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. The company has a 50 day moving average of $66.93 and a 200 day moving average of $57.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 6.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 34,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 21,934 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,498,831.59. This trade represents a 18.03 % decrease in their position. 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 and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SYF. Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $461,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $491,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 15,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $773,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 20,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,314,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

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.