Forsta AP Fonden Grows Position in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Forsta AP Fonden grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 228,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 16,400 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $19,097,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SYF. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $383,231,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 34.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,595,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $907,356,000 after purchasing an additional 3,494,741 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 48.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,349,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $309,001,000 after purchasing an additional 1,416,909 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $84,494,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 222.5% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 937,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,555,000 after purchasing an additional 646,642 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Darrell Owens sold 3,865 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 17,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,180,320.72. This trade represents a 18.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 217,554 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.68, for a total transaction of $14,941,608.72. Following the sale, the insider owned 829,222 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,950,966.96. This represents a 20.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 374,630 shares of company stock worth $25,731,741. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 0.0%

SYF stock opened at $71.44 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $56.51 and a one year high of $88.77. The firm has a market cap of $24.03 billion, a PE ratio of 7.39, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.37. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $71.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.13. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.41% and a net margin of 15.80%.The company had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan 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. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, May 5th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SYF has been the subject of several recent research reports. BTIG Research cut Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight 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 $86.05.

Synchrony Financial Company 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.