Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 10,500 shares during the quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Synchrony Financial were worth $2,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 34.6% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,595,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $907,356,000 after purchasing an additional 3,494,741 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,307,077 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $354,194,000 after acquiring an additional 406,796 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.9% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,542,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $318,236,000 after acquiring an additional 333,093 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the second quarter valued at about $299,360,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 6.1% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,266,366 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $284,737,000 after purchasing an additional 245,527 shares during the period. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SYF has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird downgraded Synchrony Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Synchrony Financial from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $96.00 price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.17.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 6.1%

NYSE:SYF opened at $72.79 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $80.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.66. The company has a market capitalization of $26.22 billion, a PE ratio of 7.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.43. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $40.54 and a 1-year high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.10%.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, October 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Synchrony Financial news, Director Arthur W. Coviello, Jr. sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.93, for a total value of $591,440.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 35,769 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,644,402.17. The trade was a 18.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 12,086 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total value of $894,605.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 108,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,014,219.42. This represents a 10.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 55,075 shares of company stock valued at $4,036,892. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Synchrony Financial News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and efficiency gains — Synchrony reported Q4 EPS ahead of estimates and highlighted improved operating efficiency and lower credit-loss provisions, supporting profitability despite some revenue softness. Synchrony Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Improved Efficiency
• Positive Sentiment: Record purchase volume and BNPL tailwinds — Purchase volume hit a company record ($49B for Q4), and management said buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) programs are lifting sales without cannibalizing card business, a growth-positive signal. Synchrony Says BNPL Lifts Sales Without Hurting Cards
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — Company announced a $0.30 quarterly common dividend, supporting yield-oriented investor demand and signaling confidence in cash flow. Synchrony Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results; Dividend Announced
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed top-line — Revenue was slightly below some estimates and down year-over-year, even as EPS beat; investors will watch whether volume and margin gains can offset revenue softness. Compared to Estimates, Synchrony Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Credit metrics published — Company released December charge-off and delinquency metrics; improvements in loss provisioning helped the quarter but warrant monitoring for any regional/portfolio shifts. Synchrony Financial Releases December 2025 Credit Performance Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance edged but not clearly above consensus — FY2026 EPS guidance was updated to $9.10–$9.50, roughly centered near street expectations; any perception that the midpoint skews conservative likely pressured the stock. (Guidance update reported Jan. 27)
• Negative Sentiment: Technical and relative underperformance — SYF has underperformed some peers recently and is trading below its 50-day moving average, with elevated intraday volume today indicating heavier selling pressure from traders repositioning after the print. Synchrony Financial stock underperforms despite daily gains

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.