Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Takes $4.36 Million Position in Synchrony Financial $SYF

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 55,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,362,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter worth about $287,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $6,647,000. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,308,000. Equitable Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $245,000. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $16,943,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.48% of the company’s stock.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 0.2%

SYF stock opened at $78.21 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $25.45 billion, a PE ratio of 8.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $76.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.11. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $63.08 and a one year high of $88.77.

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

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis 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 (DPR) is currently 13.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SYF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Loop Capital began coverage on Synchrony Financial in a report on Friday, May 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective for the company. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.