Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $86.05.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SYF shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Monday, April 20th. BTIG Research lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of SYF opened at $75.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $25.31 billion, a PE ratio of 7.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.33. The company’s fifty day moving average is $73.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.58. Synchrony Financial has a fifty-two week low of $60.01 and a fifty-two week high of $88.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 23.41%. Synchrony Financial’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. Analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.41%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, April 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total transaction of $3,651,107.34. Following the transaction, the insider owned 132,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,449,656.72. The trade was a 27.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,080,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,355,698,000 after acquiring an additional 191,920 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,335,213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,018,517,000 after acquiring an additional 739,832 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,230,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $519,778,000 after acquiring an additional 442,226 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 6.4% during the 1st 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. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,490,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $458,108,000 after acquiring an additional 517,781 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.