Swedbank AB Has $14.07 Million Stake in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its Synchrony Financial stake by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, adding 19,193 shares to bring its total to 168,579 shares worth about $14.07 million.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive on SYF, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.05, though recent calls were mixed with both upgrades and downgrades.
• Synchrony posted solid earnings and shareholder returns, reporting $2.27 EPS for the latest quarter, paying a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, and maintaining a stock buyback authorization announced on April 21.

Swedbank AB raised its stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 12.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 168,579 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 19,193 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB's holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $14,065,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,995 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $166,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 40.2% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 543 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. United Community Bank lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 4,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC lifted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 13,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,137,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen cut Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital started coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $81.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Alberto Casellas sold 14,399 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total transaction of $974,956.29. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,331 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,407,912.01. The trade was a 22.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Darrell Owens sold 3,865 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total value of $261,699.15. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,432 shares in the company, valued at $1,180,320.72. The trade was a 18.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 374,630 shares of company stock worth $25,731,741 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of SYF opened at $71.98 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $24.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.44, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.37. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $56.51 and a 52-week high of $88.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The business's fifty day moving average is $71.50 and its 200-day moving average is $74.80.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued 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 business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.41% and a net margin of 15.80%.Synchrony Financial's quarterly revenue was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 9.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is currently 12.41%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, April 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase 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.

Synchrony Financial 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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