Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Upgraded to Buy at Compass Point

Compass Point upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. Compass Point currently has $96.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

SYF has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Synchrony Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.47.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

Synchrony Financial stock opened at $73.49 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.47 billion, a PE ratio of 8.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $80.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.64. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $40.54 and a one year high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.16. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 15.72%.The company had revenue of $3.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 payout ratio is 13.10%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, October 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, Director Arthur W. Coviello, Jr. sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.93, for a total transaction of $591,440.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 35,769 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,402.17. The trade was a 18.28% decrease in their position. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total transaction of $894,605.72. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 108,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,014,219.42. The trade was a 10.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 55,075 shares of company stock valued at $4,036,892 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SYF. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 107.4% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 37.4% in the 4th quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC now owns 69,394 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,790,000 after purchasing an additional 18,898 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 13,516 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,035,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. waypoint wealth counsel acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth $205,000. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG raised its stake in Synchrony Financial by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 57,421 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,791,000 after buying an additional 2,122 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

More Synchrony Financial News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and operational positives: SYF reported $2.18 EPS vs. $2.02 consensus, benefiting from margin expansion, lower charge-offs and buybacks — a clear near-term earnings driver. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst buy support and high price targets: Several firms kept or raised bullish views (Compass Point upgrade to Buy, BTIG and TD Cowen reaffirmed Buy ratings with ~$95–96 targets), supplying upside narratives for investors. Compass Point Upgrade BTIG Note
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared: quarterly common dividend of $0.30/share (annualized yield ~1.6%) supports income-oriented holders. Dividend Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance set to $9.10–$9.50 EPS (consensus ~9.34) — guidance is roughly in line but leaves limited surprise upside, so it’s a mixed catalyst. Guidance Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price-target adjustments: Several shops trimmed targets (JPMorgan $86→$84, RBC $91→$85, Barclays $101→$93) — these lower PTs temper enthusiasm but many still imply double‑digit upside. Benzinga Notes TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and costs headwinds: Q4 revenue of $3.79B missed street ~$3.84B and Reuters flagged profit hit by a restructuring charge and higher costs — these items pressure near-term margins. Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term investment/expense pressures and credit-policy risk: Management flagged higher RSA and other investments and analysis pieces warn political risk (card rate caps) and elevated near-term provisions could cap EPS growth in 2026. Seeking Alpha

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.