Weiss Asset Management LP Acquires 217,716 Shares of Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• Weiss Asset Management increased its stake in Synchrony Financial by 844.8% in the first quarter, buying 217,716 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 243,486 shares worth about $16.6 million.
• Synchrony reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.59 beating estimates of $2.14, while revenue matched expectations at $3.72 billion. The company also guided FY 2026 EPS at 9.25 to 9.50.
• The company raised its dividend to $0.34 per share quarterly and continues to receive generally positive analyst coverage, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $86.89.

Weiss Asset Management LP boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) by 844.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 243,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 217,716 shares during the quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP owned approximately 0.07% of Synchrony Financial worth $16,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 0.6% in the first quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 22,874 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,556,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,995 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 543 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SYF. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, July 17th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.89.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 1.5%

SYF opened at $72.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Synchrony Financial has a fifty-two week low of $63.08 and a fifty-two week high of $88.77. The company's 50 day moving average price is $73.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.47, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.32.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.45. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.44% and a return on equity of 23.09%. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a 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 12.30%.

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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