Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 15,411 Shares of Synchrony Financial $SYF

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 41.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 53,018 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,411 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $4,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SYF. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 8.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $439,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 36.2% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 35,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,884,000 after buying an additional 9,460 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 7.7% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 6,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 56.1% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,062 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 2,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of SYF stock opened at $68.79 on Thursday. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $56.97 and a 1 year high of $88.77. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.17 and its 200-day moving average is $74.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.13. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 23.41%. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial’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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 9.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.41%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.05.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 132,664 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.