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

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 9.100-9.500 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 9.240. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Synchrony Financial Stock Performance

NYSE SYF opened at $78.59 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $74.71. Synchrony Financial has a 1 year low of $49.50 and a 1 year high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 23.41%. The firm’s revenue was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 9.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 5th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.41%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, April 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on SYF. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $91.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Brian J. Sr. Wenzel sold 47,112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.16, for a total transaction of $3,164,041.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 64,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,082.36. This trade represents a 42.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Alberto Casellas sold 14,399 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total transaction of $974,956.29. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,331 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,407,912.01. The trade was a 22.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 379,928 shares of company stock valued at $26,170,764. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Synchrony Financial News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board approves a large share-repurchase program — the company’s board authorized a sizable buyback (reported as a multi-billion-dollar program in coverage), reinforcing management’s view the stock is undervalued and supporting EPS/ROE over time. Synchrony Board Approves Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results showed earnings strength and improving credit metrics — SYF reported EPS above expectations ($2.27) with record purchase volume and lower net charge-offs, signaling healthier credit and revenue drivers. Coverage with analysis and takeaways: Quarterly Profit Rises and a deeper dive on consumer resilience and payment rates: Q1 Deep Dive
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lift targets / maintain bullish views — Barclays raised its price target to $93 (overweight) and Robert W. Baird lifted its target to $86 (outperform), signaling notable upside from current levels. Benzinga Price Target Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase and declared quarterly payout — SYF announced a quarterly dividend ($0.30/share) and commentary noted a 13% raise in the dividend, supporting yield-oriented investor demand.
• Positive Sentiment: New merchant partnerships expand card portfolio — Synchrony launched co-branded/private-label card programs with Chico’s FAS (Chico’s, Soma, White House Black Market), which can drive purchase volume and fee income. Chico’s Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: FY-2026 EPS guidance given in a range — management set FY26 EPS at $9.10–$9.50, roughly in line with consensus (9.24), which reduces surprise risk but limits an immediate re-rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO commentary highlights spending momentum but notes affordability pressures — management sees continued card usage and improving collections, suggesting steady fundamentals without dramatic acceleration. CFO Comments
• Negative Sentiment: Some sell-side downgrades temper upside — BTIG cut SYF from buy to neutral and other outlets reported mixed analyst views, which can cap near-term multiple expansion despite positive fundamentals. BTIG Downgrade

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the third quarter worth $29,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Synchrony Financial during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 75.8% during the third quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.