Royal Bank of Canada Boosts Holdings in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 39.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 825,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 233,580 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.25% of Synchrony Financial worth $56,179,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. 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 valued at $7,852,000 after buying 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 approximately $3,923,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 959.4% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 545,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,131,000 after purchasing an additional 494,354 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 105,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 31.2% during the 1st quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension now owns 376,640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,619,000 after acquiring an additional 89,528 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Synchrony Financial stock opened at $75.82 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $73.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.66. Synchrony Financial has a fifty-two week low of $63.08 and a fifty-two week high of $88.77. The firm has a market cap of $24.67 billion, a PE ratio of 7.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued 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. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.09% and a net margin of 15.44%.The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.72 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.50 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 5th. This is an increase from Synchrony Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is 12.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $9,449,656.72. The trade was a 27.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SYF shares. BTIG Research cut shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective 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. HSBC boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.72.

Synchrony Financial News Roundup

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.