Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Short Interest Update

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) saw a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 13,143,709 shares, a decline of 27.1% from the January 15th total of 18,021,650 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,411,685 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,411,685 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Trending Headlines about Synchrony Financial

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

• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird upgraded SYF from Neutral to Outperform and set an $83 price target (≈16% upside vs. the current level), a clear catalyst for buying interest. Baird upgrades Synchrony Financial (SYF)
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst lifted Q1 EPS estimates for Synchrony, supporting the view that near-term earnings will remain strong and backing multiple analyst upgrades. Q1 EPS Estimate for Synchrony Financial Lifted by Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research published a long-term FY2028 EPS projection (~$11.11), well above current consensus, which can buoy investor sentiment around structural earnings potential (note: this is an analyst projection, not company guidance).
• Neutral Sentiment: Synchrony released its monthly credit-performance statistics — useful for monitoring asset quality and loss trends but not an immediate directional catalyst unless figures diverge materially from expectations. Synchrony Financial Reports Monthly Credit Performance Statistics
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces on how Synchrony competes among large S&P companies provide context on strategy and partnerships; informative for longer-term positioning but not an immediate price driver. How Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Competes Among Top S&P 500 Companies
• Negative Sentiment: Comparative analysis (COF vs SYF) highlights Capital One’s recent acquisitions and rising net interest income, suggesting peers may offer faster upside — a relative-risk factor investors will watch. COF vs. SYF: Which Credit Card Lender Offers More Upside?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SYF. Compass Point raised shares of Synchrony Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $96.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Synchrony Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $92.00 to $84.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. BTIG Research lowered their price target on Synchrony Financial from $100.00 to $96.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $91.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.11.

Synchrony Financial Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:SYF traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $71.29. The company had a trading volume of 4,330,974 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,577,927. The stock has a market cap of $24.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.43. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $80.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $75.89. Synchrony Financial has a one year low of $40.54 and a one year high of $88.77.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.84 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.72% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.100-9.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Synchrony Financial’s payout ratio is currently 12.92%.

Insider Activity at Synchrony Financial

In related news, insider Curtis Howse sold 52,556 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.32, for a total value of $3,800,849.92. Following the transaction, the insider owned 94,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,812,254.72. This trade represents a 35.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 32,000 shares of Synchrony Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.80, for a total value of $2,329,600.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 127,100 shares in the company, valued at $9,252,880. This trade represents a 20.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 88,556 shares of company stock valued at $6,419,730 over the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Synchrony Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,080,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,355,698,000 after purchasing an additional 191,920 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 5.4% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,335,213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,018,517,000 after purchasing an additional 739,832 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased 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 purchasing an additional 442,226 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 8.3% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,307,077 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $354,194,000 after purchasing an additional 406,796 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,134,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $431,999,000 after purchasing an additional 592,567 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.