Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Stock Price

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) had its price target cut by Barclays from $101.00 to $93.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Barclays‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 26.76% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. UBS Group upped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. HSBC upgraded Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $73.00 to $81.00 in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.05.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 0.1%

SYF opened at $73.37 on Wednesday. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $40.54 and a 1-year high of $88.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.42 billion, a PE ratio of 7.90, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $81.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.63.

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

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program 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 reacquire up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Curtis Howse sold 12,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total value of $894,605.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider 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. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 32,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 127,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,252,880. This represents a 20.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 55,075 shares of company stock worth $4,036,892 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 358 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna bought a new position in Synchrony Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 54.9% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 412 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Synchrony Financial News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Schaeffer/Forbes says SYF could rally back toward prior highs, arguing valuation and buyback-driven EPS support upside. Synchrony Financial Stock Could Rally Back Near Record Peak
• Positive Sentiment: Compass Point upgraded SYF to a Buy with a $96 target, citing attractive multi‑year earnings leverage. Compass Point upgrade (Finviz)
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy and $96 target, saying near‑term expense pressures mask 2026 earnings power. BTIG buy reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen/TipRanks maintained a Buy with a $95 target, highlighting potential 2027 earnings upside after near‑term investments. TD Cowen buy maintained
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2025 earnings call transcript and deep dives: SYF reported $2.18 EPS (beat) on slightly below‑estimate revenue and reiterated FY26 EPS guidance range; useful for details on restructuring and expense outlook. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis (Seeking Alpha) notes 2025 EPS growth via margin expansion and buybacks but flags flat loan growth, rising provisions and political/regulatory risks that could pressure future earnings. Synchrony Financial: Growth At A Cost
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reports profit was hit by a restructuring charge and higher costs, a direct near‑term earnings headwind cited by management. Synchrony Financial profit hit by restructuring charge, higher costs
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple firms trimmed price targets this week (Truist $92→$84, JPMorgan $86→$84, RBC $91→$85, Barclays $101→$93), putting near‑term downward pressure despite some retained “overweight”/“neutral” stances. Analyst price target changes (Benzinga)

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.