Synchrony Financial $SYF Shares Sold by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC cut its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 68.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 95,823 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 205,025 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $6,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SYF. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 94,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,852,000 after acquiring an additional 16,901 shares in the last quarter. KTF Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth $3,923,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 959.4% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 545,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,131,000 after acquiring an additional 494,354 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 701.9% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 120,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,095,000 after acquiring an additional 105,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 228,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,097,000 after purchasing an additional 16,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on SYF shares. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Loop Capital initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, HSBC raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.72.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:SYF opened at $75.82 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 12 month low of $63.08 and a 12 month high of $88.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.67 billion, a PE ratio of 7.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $73.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.66.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This is a boost from Synchrony Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 12.30%.

Synchrony Financial announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, April 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 132,664 shares in the company, valued at $9,449,656.72. The trade was a 27.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Synchrony Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Synchrony Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Long-term earnings outlook improved: Zacks Research raised its FY2028 EPS forecast to $11.57 from $10.89 and increased its FY2026 estimate slightly to $9.35 from $9.33. The FY2026 figure is in line with the broader consensus forecast. Zacks Research earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Synchrony issued $1.1 billion of senior notes: The financing, launched under an underwriting agreement dated July 28, provides additional capital but also increases the company’s debt obligations and future interest expense. Synchrony Financial Issues $1.1 Billion Senior Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist maintained its Hold rating: The reaffirmation indicates no change in the analyst’s view, limiting the potential for a fresh positive catalyst. Truist Financial Reaffirms Hold Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Several near-term EPS forecasts were cut: Zacks lowered its Q3 2026 estimate to $2.40 from $2.55, Q1 2027 to $2.32 from $2.42, Q3 2027 to $2.93 from $3.02, and Q1 2028 to $2.63 from $2.67. These reductions suggest some caution about Synchrony’s nearer-term earnings momentum, despite the stable $9.35 FY2026 consensus forecast.

Synchrony Financial 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.