J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Buys 9,937 Shares of Synchrony Financial $SYF

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 24.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,889 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,937 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $3,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SYF. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 8.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $439,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 36.2% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 35,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,884,000 after acquiring an additional 9,460 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 6,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 337.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 56.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,062 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 2,178 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SYF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird downgraded Synchrony Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $91.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Compass Point raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $96.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 32,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.80, for a total value of $2,329,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 127,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,252,880. This trade represents a 20.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 2,989 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total transaction of $221,245.78. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,191,425.92. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 55,075 shares of company stock worth $4,036,892 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Synchrony Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Synchrony Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings modestly beat expectations as efficiency improved and credit loss provisions declined, supporting EPS outperformance. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Purchase volume hit a company record ($49B for 2025) and management said BNPL expansion lifted sales without hurting core card business — a growth signal for future fee and interchange revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating and $95 price target, citing compelling upside into 2027 despite near-term headwinds. That provides a potential catalyst if execution improves. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Company declared a quarterly common dividend of $0.30 per share (ex-dividend Feb 6), supporting income investors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript and slides are available for investors who want line-by-line management commentary on product expansion, RSA costs and reserve assumptions. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Management released monthly credit performance metrics (December), which investors should monitor for trends in charge-offs and delinquencies. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Profit was dented by a restructuring charge and higher operating costs, which reduced headline earnings and heightened near-term expense risk. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue came in flat/softer and the company updated FY?2026 guidance that implies limited EPS upside (management’s 2026 outlook expects headwinds from higher provisions, RSA costs and narrower margin levers). Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Political/regulatory risk remains—proposed credit-card rate caps, while unlikely to be implemented soon, would materially hurt Synchrony’s card-based business model if enacted. Article Title

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF stock opened at $72.79 on Wednesday. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $40.54 and a 12-month high of $88.77. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $80.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $75.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $26.22 billion, a PE ratio of 7.95, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.43.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.10%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.