Empowered Funds LLC Reduces Holdings in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Empowered Funds LLC reduced its position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 68.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 95,823 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 205,025 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $6,518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,080,903 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,355,698,000 after buying an additional 191,920 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 34.6% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,595,381 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $907,356,000 after buying an additional 3,494,741 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in Synchrony Financial by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,230,111 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $519,778,000 after acquiring an additional 442,226 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,039,753 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $410,760,000 after acquiring an additional 365,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,490,921 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $458,108,000 after acquiring an additional 517,781 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Synchrony Financial 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 value of $3,651,107.34. Following the sale, the insider owned 132,664 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,449,656.72. The trade was 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 available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 1.7%

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NYSE SYF opened at $75.82 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $73.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.66. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $24.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.77, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.32.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.45. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.44% and a return on equity of 23.09%. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. 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 year.

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Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, April 21st that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on SYF. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Synchrony Financial from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BTIG Research downgraded Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, May 22nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $81.00 target price for the company. 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $87.72.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Synchrony Financial

Synchrony Financial Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SYF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report).

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