Synchrony Financial Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:SYF)

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 20,986 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 657% compared to the average daily volume of 2,774 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Monday, December 8th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $92.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $96.00 price target on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $71.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Synchrony Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 47,112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total transaction of $3,164,041.92. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,082.36. This trade represents a 42.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 3,865 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total transaction of $261,699.15. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 17,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,180,320.72. The trade was a 18.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 379,928 shares of company stock worth $26,170,764. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 358 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Synchrony Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 54.9% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 412 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

SYF traded down $0.04 during trading on Thursday, hitting $68.28. 1,628,112 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,661,832. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $70.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $40.54 and a twelve month high of $88.77. The company has a market cap of $23.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.34, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.39.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $2.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.16. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 15.72%.The firm had revenue of $3.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.91 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.92%.

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.