Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 9.250-9.500 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 9.310. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Synchrony Financial Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE SYF opened at $72.28 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $24.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.47, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. Synchrony Financial has a 12-month low of $63.08 and a 12-month high of $88.77. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.22.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.45. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 23.41% and a net margin of 15.80%.The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 5th. This is a boost from Synchrony Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.41%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SYF. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. BTIG Research lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $3,651,107.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 132,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,449,656.72. The trade was a 27.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More Synchrony Financial News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Synchrony beat Q2 earnings estimates with EPS of $2.59 versus expectations around $2.08-$2.14, helped by record purchase volume, stronger loan growth, and improving consumer activity. Earnings Release and Conference Call
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its FY 2026 EPS outlook to $9.25-$9.50, signaling confidence in continued earnings momentum despite a challenging consumer backdrop. Synchrony Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Synchrony increased its quarterly dividend to $0.34 per share from $0.30, a sign of capital strength and shareholder-friendly management. Synchrony Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and maintained a bullish stance, lifting its price target to $89, which may support investor sentiment. Synchrony Financial: Bhatia Reiterates Buy Rating, Trims Price Target to $89 on Strong Q2 Results and Solid 2026 Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue came in just below expectations at $3.72 billion versus about $3.73 billion, a slight offset to the earnings beat. Earnings Release and Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and earnings-call highlights pointed to growth momentum and resilient consumer spending, reinforcing the view that credit performance remains manageable. Synchrony Financial Earnings Call Highlights Growth Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: The modest revenue miss and guidance that was only slightly above consensus may limit upside if investors focus more on top-line growth than profit outperformance. Synchrony Financial misses Q2 CY2026 revenue estimates

Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SYF. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position 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 period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its position in Synchrony Financial by 222.5% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 937,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,555,000 after buying an additional 646,642 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,490,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $458,108,000 after buying an additional 517,781 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 591.9% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 519,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,325,000 after acquiring an additional 444,241 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,230,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $519,778,000 after acquiring an additional 442,226 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

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.