Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF – received rating) were given an average rating of “buy” by the twenty-one analysts covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equity analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five with a hold rating and twelve with a buy rating for the company. The average 12-month target price set by analysts covering the stock over the last year is $51.00.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com accepted coverage of Synchrony Financial in a report dated Thursday, March 31st. You give the stock a “hold” rating. Morgan Stanley downgraded Synchrony Financial from an “overweight” rating to an “balance” rating in a report Monday, March 28, and lowered its price target on the stock to $40.00 from $56.00. Wolfe Research downgraded Synchrony Financial from a peer perform rating to an underperform rating and set a price target of $22.00 for the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 12. Stephens lowered its target price on Synchrony Financial to $47.00 from $54.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 19. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group raised its target price on Synchrony Financial to $45.00 from $40.00, giving the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 19.

shares of NYSE SYF opened at $36.22 on Friday. The company has a leverage ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $36.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.49. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $31.36 and a 52-week high of $52.49. The company has a market cap of $18.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.91, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.43.

synchronization finances (NYSE:SYF – received rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 18. The financial services firm reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.23. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 29.99% and a net margin of 26.26%. In the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.73 per share. Sell-side analysts are predicting that Synchrony Financial will report year-to-date earnings per share of 5.63.

Synchrony Financial announced that on Monday, April 18, its board of directors approved a stock repurchase program that will allow the company to repurchase $2.80 billion of stock. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy back up to 13.6% of its shares through purchases on the open market. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 2 received a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday April 29th. That equates to a dividend of $0.88 on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is currently 11.94%.

Institutional investors and hedge funds recently changed their holdings in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 1,769.1% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,757 shares of the financial services provider, valued at $61,000, after purchasing an additional 1,663 shares last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 357.2% during the first quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 23,543 shares of the financial services provider, valued at $819,000, after purchasing an additional 18,394 shares last quarter. Toroso Investments LLC increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 12.3% during the first quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 16,010 shares of the financial services provider, valued at $557,000, after purchasing an additional 1,752 shares last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial valued at approximately $215,000 during the first quarter. Finally, in Q1, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 45.3%. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 550,851 shares of the financial services provider, valued at $19,175,000, after purchasing an additional 171,755 shares last quarter. 98.26% of the shares are owned by institutional investors.

About Synchrony Financial (received rating)

Synchrony Financial, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer financial services company in the United States. It offers lending products such as credit cards, commercial lending products and consumer installment loans. The Company also offers private label credit cards, dual card, co-branded 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 for retail and commercial customers, and accepts deposits through third-party brokerage firms.

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