Westpac Banking Corp Acquires New Holdings in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Key Points

• Westpac Banking Corp acquired 76,356 shares of Synchrony Financial in the second quarter, valued at approximately $5.8 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 96.48% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Synchrony receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $87.89. The stock recently traded at $79.53.
• Synchrony reported quarterly EPS of $2.59, exceeding estimates of $2.14, and increased its quarterly dividend from $0.30 to $0.34 per share, equivalent to a 1.7% annual yield.

Westpac Banking Corp bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 76,356 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,807,000.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital assumed coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, May 22nd. They set a "hold" rating and a $81.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $87.89.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 3.7%

NYSE SYF opened at $79.53 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 52 week low of $63.08 and a 52 week high of $88.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $76.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.15, a PEG ratio of 0.70 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.72 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.44% and a return on equity of 23.09%. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This is a boost from Synchrony Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Synchrony Financial's payout ratio is presently 13.93%.

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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