Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Raises Stock Position in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 97.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,707 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $1,065,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the third quarter worth $29,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 337.0% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 0.5%

Synchrony Financial stock opened at $74.03 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap 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 current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $73.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.54. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $63.08 and a 1-year high of $88.77.

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

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has approved 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SYF shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial upped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. TD Cowen increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.32.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $3,651,107.34. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 132,664 shares in the company, valued at $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 available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Synchrony Financial

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.