Q3 EPS Estimate for Synchrony Financial Lifted by Analyst

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for Synchrony to $2.57 (from $2.50) and shows a FY2026 consensus of $9.29, while Synchrony’s own guidance for FY2026 is $9.10–$9.50.
• Synchrony beat last quarter's EPS at $2.27 versus $2.14 expected, but revenue missed at $3.70B (consensus $3.81B) and was down 7.4% year‑over‑year.
• Analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $86.32 (Barclays raised its PT to $93); the stock trades near $76.23 with a P/E of 7.88, a $0.30 quarterly dividend (1.6% yield), substantial insider selling, and ~96% institutional ownership.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Synchrony Financial in a report released on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the financial services provider will earn $2.57 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.50. The consensus estimate for Synchrony Financial's current full-year earnings is $9.29 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Synchrony Financial's Q4 2026 earnings at $2.52 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.21 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.07 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.64 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $10.26 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.69 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.87 EPS.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.41% and a net margin of 15.80%.The business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on SYF. Barclays upped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Compass Point raised Synchrony Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $96.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. BTIG Research lowered Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Synchrony Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.32.

Synchrony Financial Stock Up 1.5%

SYF stock opened at $76.23 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $70.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $74.92. Synchrony Financial has a fifty-two week low of $51.72 and a fifty-two 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 company has a market cap of $25.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.39.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SYF. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 8.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,302 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 36.2% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 35,582 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,884,000 after purchasing an additional 9,460 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 7.7% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 6,406 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 337.0% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 590 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 56.1% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,062 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 2,178 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 47,112 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total value of $3,164,041.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,221 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,313,082.36. This represents a 42.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 52,556 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.32, for a total value of $3,800,849.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 94,196 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,812,254.72. This represents a 35.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 379,928 shares of company stock valued at $26,170,764 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 21st that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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 issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Synchrony Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.41%.

Synchrony Financial Company 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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