Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Downgraded to Neutral Rating by BTIG Research

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) was downgraded by analysts at BTIG Research from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $71.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Barclays reduced their target price on Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $85.00.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of SYF stock opened at $77.77 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $27.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.37, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.68. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $46.13 and a 1-year high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 15.72%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 9.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, April 21st that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 47,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total value of $3,164,041.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 64,221 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,082.36. This represents a 42.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian D. Doubles sold 217,554 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.68, for a total value of $14,941,608.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 829,222 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,950,966.96. The trade was a 20.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 379,928 shares of company stock valued at $26,170,764 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $383,231,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 34.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,595,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $907,356,000 after purchasing an additional 3,494,741 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 48.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,349,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $309,001,000 after purchasing an additional 1,416,909 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $84,494,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 222.5% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 937,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,555,000 after purchasing an additional 646,642 shares during the last quarter. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Synchrony Financial News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and underlying volume/NIM strength — SYF reported $2.27 EPS, topping the consensus and attributing results to purchase-volume growth and an expanding net interest margin, which supports profitability. Synchrony Q1 Earnings Match Estimates on Purchase Volume Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Large share-repurchase authorization — Management approved a $6.5 billion buyback program, a clear capital-return signal that typically supports the share price. Synchrony Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase announced — Company declared a quarterly dividend and plans to raise the quarterly payout (company commentary and release highlight a planned uplift), adding to total shareholder yield. Synchrony Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management tone constructive on consumer behavior — CFO Brian Wenzel said card spending and credit use show momentum and consumers continue to rely on cards for spending and liquidity, which supports outlook for loan growth and fee income. Synchrony CFO Flags Momentum in Spending and Credit
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance reiterated/updated to $9.10–$9.50 — guidance sits roughly around consensus (9.24), so it’s not a large surprise but will be watched for execution vs. midpoint. Synchrony Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Company posted monthly credit-performance metrics — public update gives transparency into delinquencies/charge-offs; investors will parse the trend for credit-cycle risk but the release itself neither surprises nor drastically alters the story yet. Synchrony Financial Posts Monthly Credit Performance Metrics Update
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined and missed consensus — Q1 revenue fell ~7.4% year-over-year and came in below estimates, a reminder that top-line growth remains pressured even as margins and volumes help EPS. Synchrony Reports Q1 Results (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Deposit balances and some funding metrics declined — the company noted deposit declines, which can raise funding cost and liquidity questions if the trend continues. Synchrony Q1 Earnings Match Estimates on Purchase Volume Growth

Synchrony Financial Company 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.