Empowered Funds LLC Makes New $6.65 Million Investment in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 87,399 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,647,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 8.9% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 36.2% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 35,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,884,000 after purchasing an additional 9,460 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 6,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 56.1% in 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Price Performance

NYSE:SYF opened at $78.21 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.11. Synchrony Financial has a 12 month low of $63.08 and a 12 month high of $88.77. The firm has a market cap of $25.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.72 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.09% and a net margin of 15.44%.During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 5th were paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Synchrony Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on SYF. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, May 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.78.

Synchrony Financial 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.