AMJ Financial Wealth Management Raises Stock Holdings in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• AMJ Financial Wealth Management boosted its Synchrony Financial stake by 467.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 62,155 shares valued at about $5.19 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with Synchrony carrying an average “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $86.32, though some firms recently cut ratings while others raised targets.
• Synchrony reported Q1 earnings of $2.27 per share, beating expectations, and also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, equivalent to a 1.7% yield.

AMJ Financial Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 467.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 62,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 51,195 shares during the quarter. AMJ Financial Wealth Management's holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $5,186,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 358 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 337.0% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 590 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC grew its stake in Synchrony Financial by 40.2% in the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 474 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SYF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research cut Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Compass Point raised Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $96.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.32.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 0.0%

Synchrony Financial stock opened at $71.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.37, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.37. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $55.67 and a 1-year high of $88.77. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.92.

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

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.41%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, April 21st that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 47,112 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total value of $3,164,041.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 64,221 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,082.36. This trade represents a 42.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 217,554 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.68, for a total value of $14,941,608.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 829,222 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,950,966.96. This trade represents a 20.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 323,372 shares of company stock worth $22,080,634. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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