September 14, 2023
Top 10 Stock Synchrony Financial Strong Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: Synchrony Financial – Top 10 Stock in Customer Satisfaction Leaders in the United States
Synchrony Financial is listed as a top 10 stock on September 14, 2023 in the market index Customer Focus US because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While half the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, investor sentiment is negative and growth performance is below market average, both a sign for caution. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 89 (top 89% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Synchrony Financial on September 14, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Consumer Finance |
| Index | Customer Focus US, Employee Focus US, Diversity USA, S&P 500 |
| Size class | XX-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View Synchrony Financial Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | September 14, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 94 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 23 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 98 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 39 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 89 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 89 (better than 89% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Synchrony Financial are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for Synchrony Financial. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 94, which means that the share price of Synchrony Financial is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 94% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 98. But the professional market sentiment is below average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 39. Professional investors are more confident in 61% other stocks. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 23, which means that the company is below average in terms of growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. 77 of its competitors have better growth. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 89, Synchrony Financial is better positioned than 89% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. The picture is mixed here. The stock seems to be a good value (Value Rank of 94), and the financing structure is on the safer side (Safety Rank of 98). However, sentiment in the professional investor community is below-average (Sentiment Rank of 39), as is the growth momentum for the company (Growth Rank of 23). Since the company is good value and the share price low, it should attract investors, yet professionals are skeptical. Even though the financing structure is not as important as Value, Growth, and Sentiment, investors should still be careful with this decision and conduct further research if they are serious about investing in this company. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Synchrony Financial only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 39 (better than 39% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Synchrony Financial is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Synchrony Financial. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 31 (worse than 69% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 60, which means that stock research experts are more positive in their investment recommendations in the company. In other words, they are getting more optimistic of stock investments in Synchrony Financial. More encouragingly, the Professional Investors rank is 65, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 65% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But Market Pulse is on the lower side with a rank of 26, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the negative side when discussing this company (more negative news than for 74% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 39 (less encouraging than 61% compared with investment alternatives), Synchrony Financial has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. The sentiment signals are mixed for Synchrony Financial. While analysts and the news channels are negative, there is a change in what analysts think. Above-average institutional investors in this company support them. Sentiment signals remain mixed with analysts and news channels pessimistic, though improving, and professional investors above average. ...read more
Value Strategy: Synchrony Financial Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives) for 2023, Synchrony Financial shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Synchrony Financial. Price-to-Sales is 84 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 84% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Synchrony Financial's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 91% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 71. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Synchrony Financial are expected to be higher than for 69% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 69). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 94, is a buy recommendation based on Synchrony Financial's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in Synchrony Financial based on its detailed value metrics.
Growth Strategy: Synchrony Financial Growth Momentum negative
| GROWTH METRICS | September 14, 2023 | |||||||
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| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 55 |
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| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 22 |
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| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 39 |
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| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 45 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 23 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 23 (better than 23% compared with alternatives), Synchrony Financial shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below-average for Synchrony Financial. While Sales Growth ranks at 55, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 55% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 22, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 78% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 39. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 45 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 55% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 23, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. If revenues are expected to increase, but all other growth indicators are negative, the company may be investing in future growth through means not visible in the balance sheet and thus not reflected in capital growth. The fact that Stock Returns have been below market doesn't mean that much, as it may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior in the past, which has been corrected to a more reasonable level recently. If that were the case, a positive Value Rank would be a reason to invest because the company is still expected to grow, while stock prices are now at a more reasonable level. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Synchrony Financial Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | September 14, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 82 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 47 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 95 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 98 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 98 (better than 98% compared with alternatives) for 2023, the company Synchrony Financial has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Synchrony Financial is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for Synchrony Financial. Leverage is at a rank of 82, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 82% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 95, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 95% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 47, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 53% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 98 (better than 98% compared with alternatives), Synchrony Financial has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Synchrony Financial. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Synchrony Financial Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | September 14, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 94 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 23 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 95 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 100 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with investment alternatives), Synchrony Financial (Consumer Finance, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Synchrony Financial are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 94 (better than 94% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 98, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 23). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 100, is a strong buy recommendation based on Synchrony Financial's financial characteristics. As the company Synchrony Financial's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 94) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 23) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 98), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 94% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. ...read more
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