Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Acquires 370,603 Shares of Synchrony Financial $SYF

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) by 2,602.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 384,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 370,603 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned about 0.11% of Synchrony Financial worth $26,177,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 96.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:SYF opened at $72.88 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $24.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.32. Synchrony Financial has a twelve month low of $63.08 and a twelve month high of $88.77. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $73.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.72 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.44% and a return on equity of 23.09%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Synchrony Financial will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 5th. This is an increase from Synchrony Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.93%.

Synchrony Financial declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan 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 plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Synchrony Financial from $71.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.89.

Insider Transactions at Synchrony Financial

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 51,258 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total transaction of $3,651,107.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 132,664 shares in the company, valued at $9,449,656.72. This represents a 27.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.36% 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.