Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Stock Gets Price Target Reduction from Morgan Stanley

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) had its price target decreased by Morgan Stanley from $84.00 to $83.00 in a research report report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, October 9th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $87.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 5th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $90.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.25.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF opened at $71.67 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $76.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.44. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $63.08 and a one year high of $88.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $23.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.35.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.72 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.09% and a net margin of 15.44%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 9.40 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th were issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 5th. This is a positive change from Synchrony Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the second quarter worth about $2,349,452,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter worth about $1,122,961,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 6.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,039,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $410,760,000 after acquiring an additional 365,353 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 5.6% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,338,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $363,098,000 after acquiring an additional 281,451 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 0.9% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,338,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $295,112,000 after acquiring an additional 37,114 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

About Synchrony Financial

Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) is a consumer financial services company that provides credit products and related services through partnerships with retailers, manufacturers, healthcare providers and other businesses. The company is best known for private-label credit cards and dual-use credit cards that allow consumers to finance purchases with participating brands.

Synchrony’s offerings also include promotional financing, installment loans and other consumer payment solutions. Its products support spending across areas such as retail, home improvement, consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive and lifestyle purchases.