Fifth Third Bancorp Acquires 117,561 Shares of Synchrony Financial $SYF

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 392.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 117,561 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $10,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strategic Investment Advisors MI increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 68,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,890,000 after purchasing an additional 20,778 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $34,362,000. KTF Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter worth $3,923,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 94,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,852,000 after buying an additional 16,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,134,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $431,999,000 after buying an additional 592,567 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock opened at $74.03 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.90 billion, a PE ratio of 7.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.54. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $63.08 and a one year high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.13. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 23.41%. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. Research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 9.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

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

Synchrony Financial announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 21st that allows the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on SYF. Loop Capital began coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, May 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. BTIG Research cut shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.32.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total transaction of $3,651,107.34. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 132,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,449,656.72. This represents a 27.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.36% 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.