Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Will Pay A Dividend Of US$0.22

Synchrony Financial's (NYSE:SYF) investors are due to receive a payment of US$0.22 per share on 12th of November. Based on this payment, the dividend yield will be 1.8%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

View our latest analysis for Synchrony Financial

Synchrony Financial's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. However, prior to this announcement, Synchrony Financial's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

EPS is set to fall by 14.6% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 16%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

Synchrony Financial Is Still Building Its Track Record

The dividend's track record has been pretty solid, but with only 5 years of history we want to see a few more years of history before making any solid conclusions. Since 2016, the dividend has gone from US$0.52 to US$0.88. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 11% per annum over that time. It is always nice to see strong dividend growth, but with such a short payment history we wouldn't be inclined to rely on it until a longer track record can be developed.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Synchrony Financial has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 23% per annum. Earnings per share is growing at a solid clip, and the payout ratio is low which we think is an ideal combination in a dividend stock as the company can quite easily raise the dividend in the future.

Synchrony Financial Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, we like to see the dividend staying consistent, and we think Synchrony Financial might even raise payments in the future. The earnings easily cover the company's distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. However, it is worth noting that the earnings are expected to fall over the next year, which may not change the long term outlook, but could affect the dividend payment in the next 12 months. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, Synchrony Financial has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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