Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.19), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $5.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 17.37%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of SYF stock traded down $0.88 during trading on Thursday, reaching $44.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,572,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,496,721. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $26.59 and a 1-year high of $45.33. The company has a market capitalization of $17.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $41.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.70.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 3rd. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SYF shares. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com downgraded Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $35.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.72.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total transaction of $264,584.78. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 152,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,534,503.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 6,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total value of $264,584.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 152,604 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,503.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider David P. Melito sold 7,283 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.99, for a total transaction of $283,964.17. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $552,995.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 148,158 shares of company stock worth $6,106,106. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.