Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Stake in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 6.4% in the first quarter, owning about 6.04 million shares worth roughly $410.8 million.
• Synchrony reported Q2 EPS of $2.59, beating analyst expectations, and raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to $9.25-$9.50 as loan growth and purchase volume remained strong.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.34 per share, a 13.3% increase, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $87.32.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 6.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,039,753 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 365,353 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.80% of Synchrony Financial worth $410,760,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on SYF shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Synchrony Financial from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. BTIG Research lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.32.

Key Synchrony Financial News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Synchrony reported Q2 earnings of $2.59 per share, well above analyst estimates, helped by record purchase volume, stronger loan growth, and solid profitability. Synchrony Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 EPS outlook to $9.25-$9.50, signaling management confidence in continued earnings momentum. Synchrony Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Synchrony increased its quarterly dividend to $0.34 per share, a 13.3% boost, which supports the stock’s appeal to income investors. Synchrony Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management also highlighted June credit performance metrics and a more resilient consumer backdrop, suggesting borrowers are holding up better than feared. Synchrony Financial Reports June 2026 Credit Performance Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: One report noted that revenue missed estimates, which may have limited upside despite the earnings beat. Synchrony Financial misses Q2 CY2026 revenue estimates

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of SYF stock opened at $72.28 on Wednesday. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $63.08 and a 12-month high of $88.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $73.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.32.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.45. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.41% and a net margin of 15.80%.The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, April 21st that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.41%.

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.

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