New York State Teachers Retirement System Lowers Stake in Synchrony Financial $SYF

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 8.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 365,239 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 33,720 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.10% of Synchrony Financial worth $30,472,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SYF. Interchange Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,051 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 587,954 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $49,053,000 after acquiring an additional 21,534 shares in the last quarter. KTF Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,923,000. Certuity LLC increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 34,828 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,906,000 after acquiring an additional 956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Synchrony Financial

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $2.69 from $2.43 — a sizable lift that signals improving long‑term earnings expectations. MarketBeat SYF
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks boosted its Q3 2027 EPS view to $3.07 (from $2.75), suggesting stronger expected mid‑term profitability. MarketBeat SYF
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q4 2026 estimate to $2.52 from $2.22 — an upgrade that improves near‑term quarterly expectations. MarketBeat SYF
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks nudged up its Q3 2026 EPS to $2.57 (from $2.50), another small but constructive revision for FY2026 cadence. MarketBeat SYF
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks increased its FY2027 EPS forecast to $10.26 (from $10.02), lifting longer‑range earnings expectations for the company. MarketBeat SYF
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts' consensus price target is $86.32 — well above the current trading level — which can act as a buoy for investor sentiment if maintained. Analyst Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its FY2028 EPS estimate to $10.87 from $11.11, reducing longer‑term upside and indicating more modest growth than previously thought. MarketBeat SYF
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered FY2026 EPS to $9.21 from $9.29, a small cut to the current fiscal‑year outlook that may temper near‑term expectations. MarketBeat SYF
• Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch flagged that Synchrony has been underperforming peers, which can pressure the share price as investors favor better‑performing financials. MarketWatch Underperformance

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SYF opened at $75.83 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $52.99 and a twelve month high of $88.77. The company's 50 day moving average is $70.43 and its 200 day moving average is $74.92. 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 company has a market cap of $25.55 billion, a PE ratio of 7.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.39.

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

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.41%.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share 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. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SYF. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Compass Point upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $96.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Activity

In other Synchrony Financial news, 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 transaction, the insider owned 829,222 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,950,966.96. This trade represents a 20.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bart Schaller sold 12,980 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total value of $878,875.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,304,509.85. This represents a 27.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 379,928 shares of company stock worth $26,170,764. Insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

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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