Q1 EPS Forecast for Synchrony Financial Boosted by Analyst

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the financial services provider will earn $2.30 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.04. The consensus estimate for Synchrony Financial’s current full-year earnings is $7.67 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Synchrony Financial’s Q2 2026 earnings at $2.27 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.50 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.22 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.29 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.14 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.61 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.75 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.52 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $10.02 EPS.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.84 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 15.72%.Synchrony Financial’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.91 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on SYF. Robert W. Baird lowered Synchrony Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays cut their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $92.00 to $84.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Compass Point upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $96.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.05.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

Shares of SYF stock opened at $72.92 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 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. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $40.54 and a 12-month high of $88.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $80.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.87.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, October 15th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is currently 12.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Synchrony Financial news, Director Arthur W. Coviello, Jr. sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.32, for a total value of $289,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 32,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,346,350.08. This trade represents a 10.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 32,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.80, for a total transaction of $2,329,600.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 127,100 shares in the company, valued at $9,252,880. This trade represents a 20.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 88,556 shares of company stock worth $6,419,730 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SYF. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,995 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 40.2% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 474 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Synchrony Financial by 15.1% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,106 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Community Bank lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 4,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several near-term and FY2026 estimates, including FY2026 EPS to $9.29 (from $8.94), Q1 2026 to $2.30 (from $2.04), Q2 2026 to $2.27 (from $2.14), and Q4 2026 to $2.22 (from $2.19). These upward revisions signal stronger near-term earnings expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell materially in January — down ~27% vs. Jan 15 to ~13.14M shares (3.7% of float), implying reduced bearish positioning and a lower short-squeeze risk.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at the UBS Financial Services Conference; the transcript is available for investors reviewing management commentary and strategic color. UBS Conference Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed several 2026–2027 quarter and full‑year forecasts: Q4 2027 to $2.52 (from $2.63), Q3 2027 to $2.75 (from $2.79), Q1 2027 to $2.14 (from $2.33), Q3 2026 to $2.50 (from $2.57), and cut FY2027 to $10.02 (from $10.16). Those downward revisions to 2027 estimates likely weigh on forward-growth sentiment.

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.