Wall Street Zen Upgrades Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) to Buy

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Baird R W downgraded Synchrony Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $91.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.47.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF opened at $80.25 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.43. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $40.54 and a 52 week high of $88.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $80.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, October 15th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 3.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Curtis Howse sold 12,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total value of $894,605.72. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 108,271 shares in the company, valued at $8,014,219.42. This represents a 10.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 2,989 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total transaction of $221,245.78. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,191,425.92. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 55,075 shares of company stock valued at $4,036,892. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 358 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 54.9% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 412 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Company Profile

Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) is a consumer financial services company that specializes in providing point-of-sale financing and private-label, co-branded and branded credit card programs. The company serves as a payments and lending partner to retailers, digital merchants and service providers, offering consumer financing solutions designed to drive customer engagement and sales. Synchrony also operates a direct bank that offers deposit products, including savings accounts and certificates of deposit, which support its funding and customer-facing product suite.

Its core product set includes private-label and co-branded credit cards, general-purpose credit cards, installment loan programs and promotional financing options that are integrated into merchants’ checkout experiences.