Synchrony Financial Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:SYF)
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailySynchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF – Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 4,049 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 232% compared to the typical volume of 1,219 call options.
Institutional Trading of Synchrony Financial
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 73,699 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,605,000 after buying an additional 6,958 shares during the period. Archford Capital Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.2% in the second quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC now owns 42,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,222,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its stake in Synchrony Financial by 6.3% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,094,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $83,253,000 after purchasing an additional 65,124 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 277.8% during the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 66,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,069,000 after acquiring an additional 49,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 4.3% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 14,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.48% of the company’s stock.
Synchrony Financial Trading Down 1.7%
NYSE SYF traded down $1.31 on Thursday, hitting $76.04. 779,123 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,022,078. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $63.08 and a 52-week high of $88.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $24.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $76.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.46.
Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.72 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 15.44% and a return on equity of 23.09%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.50 EPS. Synchrony Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.250-9.500 EPS. Research analysts predict that Synchrony Financial will post 9.37 EPS for the current year.
Synchrony Financial Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th were paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 5th. This is a positive change from Synchrony Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Synchrony Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.93%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on Synchrony Financial from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on Synchrony Financial in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.78.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Synchrony Financial
About Synchrony Financial
Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) is a consumer financial services company that provides credit products and financing programs through partnerships with retailers, manufacturers, healthcare providers and other businesses. Its offerings are designed to help consumers finance purchases and manage spending across a range of industries.
The company’s products include private-label and co-branded credit cards, promotional financing, installment loans and other consumer payment solutions. Synchrony also provides deposit products and other banking services through Synchrony Bank, including savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts.
Synchrony primarily serves consumers and business partners in the United States, including customers in retail, home, automotive, healthcare, specialty and other markets.
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