Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Synchrony Financial Put Options (NYSE:SYF)

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock traders bought 20,986 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 657% compared to the average volume of 2,774 put options.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE SYF traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $68.28. The company had a trading volume of 1,628,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,661,832. The company has a market capitalization of $23.73 billion, a PE ratio of 7.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $40.54 and a one year high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SYF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $91.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $96.00 target price on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $71.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at Synchrony Financial

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Bart Schaller sold 12,980 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total value of $878,875.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,304,509.85. The trade was a 27.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 217,554 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.68, for a total transaction of $14,941,608.72. Following the sale, the insider owned 829,222 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,950,966.96. The trade was a 20.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 379,928 shares of company stock worth $26,170,764 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 358 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.