SYF vs AFRM Stock Comparison

Synchrony Financial and Affirm Holdings Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
SYF Synchrony Financial
$73.64 +4.2% 1M +0.5% 1Y
Market cap
$23.87B
P/E
7.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$19.31B
Div. yield
0.02%
Consumer Lending Financial Services
9 wins
AFRM Affirm Holdings, Inc.
$70.08 +2.9% 1M -7.2% 1Y
Market cap
$23.27B
P/E
12.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.26B
Div. yield
–
Consumer Lending Financial Services
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Synchrony Financial leads on 9 of the 12 questions below (Synchrony Financial 9, Affirm Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSYFAFRMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $23.87B $23.27B SYF
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 7.4x 12.1x SYF
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 7.6x 37.7x SYF
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +2.6% +32.2% AFRM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.8% 45.3% AFRM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 25.7% 5.6% SYF
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 2.3x SYF
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +0.5% -7.2% SYF
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.4%/yr -14.7%/yr SYF
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.7% 59.6% SYF
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 80/100 54/100 SYF

Percentile Scorecard

SYFAFRM

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisSYFAFRM
Valuation 94 #11 of 170 32 #116 of 170
Growth 50 #83 of 165 98 #4 of 165
Profitability 92 #14 of 155 64 #57 of 155
Financial Health 80 #34 of 163 62 #62 of 163
Shareholder Returns 85 #21 of 137 15 #117 of 137
Overall 80 54
  • SYF ranked among 175 companies in Lending and Credit
  • AFRM ranked among 175 companies in Lending and Credit

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodSYFAFRMSPY
1 month +4.2%+2.9% -1.0%
3 months +1.0%-0.2% +2.9%
6 months -3.5%+10.0% +6.4%
Year to date -11.7%-5.8% +11.4%
1 year +0.5%-7.2% +13.1%
3 years +169.1%+258.3% +79.4%
3 years, per year +39.1%+53.1% +21.5%
5 years +49.7%-54.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year +8.4%-14.7% +10.9%
10 years +160.9%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +10.1%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureSYFAFRMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.7%59.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 36.1%58.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.182.59 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.02-0.12 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -46.7%-94.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -16.8%-18.3% -2.5%
52-week high $88.47$85.78 $779.14
52-week low $63.78$42.53 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleSYFAFRM
P/E now vs peer median 7.2xmedian 11.0x 12.2xmedian 11.0x
P/S now vs peer median 1.2xmedian 2.6x 5.5xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 13.1x 33.8xmedian 13.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 6.9x 23.8xmedian 6.9x
P/B now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 0.7x 4.3xmedian 0.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.33median 0.31 0.23median 0.31

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsSYFAFRM
Revenue $19.31B $4.26B
Operating income – $416.98M
Net income $3.33B $1.93B
Free cash flow $9.56B $992.63M
EPS (diluted) $10.06 $5.53
Cash & equivalents $15.90B $1.63B
Total debt $8.11B $10.58B
Shares (diluted) 322.40M 348.85M
Enterprise value -$43.75B $16.96B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricSYFAFRM
P/E 7.2x 12.2x
P/FCF 2.4x 23.8x
P/Operating cash flow 2.4x 19.2x
P/S 1.2x 5.5x
P/B 1.4x 4.3x
P/Tangible book 1.4x 4.3x
EV/EBITDA 1.7x 33.8x
EV/EBIT 1.8x 60.8x
EV/Revenue 0.8x 5.9x
EV/FCF 1.6x 25.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 1.6x 20.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.33 0.23

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSYFAFRM
Revenue growth (1Y) 2.6% 32.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.6% 39.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – 577.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – 32.9%
Net income growth (1Y) -6.8% 3,598%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.0% 58.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 6.5% 3,515%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 21.7% 54.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -2.0% 55.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 365.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -2.0% 65.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 123.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSYFAFRM
Gross margin – –
EBITDA margin 45.8% 17.6%
Operating margin – 9.8%
Pretax margin 22.6% 11.6%
Net margin 16.8% 45.3%
FCF margin 49.5% 23.3%
Operating cash flow margin 49.5% 28.9%
Return on equity 19.9% 41.6%
Return on assets 2.7% 13.3%
Return on invested capital 25.7% 5.6%
Return on capital employed – –
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.9x 0.6x
Stock comp / revenue – 7.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSYFAFRM
Debt / assets 6.6% 21.1%
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 0.8x 3.4x
Liabilities / assets 86.5% 65.3%
Equity / assets 13.5% 34.7%
Interest coverage 2.1x 0.9x
Current ratio – –
Quick ratio – –
Cash ratio – –
Altman Z-score – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSYFAFRM
Dividend yield 1.7% –
Net buyback yield 16.8% -0.7%
Shareholder yield 18.5% -0.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 12.6% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 4.4% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 0.5% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.1% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusSYFAFRM
Forward P/E 7.6xFY2026 37.7xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $9.74FY2026 $1.86FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +5.0%FY2026 -66.4%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +11.1% +45.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $15.70BFY2026 $5.22BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +4.8%FY2026 +22.5%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +7.7% +24.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSYFAFRM
Held by institutions 100.0% 77.1%
Institutions holding 1,002 658
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.8% +8.1%
Institutions buying 526 401
Institutions selling 345 173
Buyers to sellers 1.52 2.32

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

SYFAFRM
SYF 1.00 0.51
AFRM 0.51 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, SYF and AFRM?

Synchrony Financial (SYF) is the largest by market capitalisation: Synchrony Financial (SYF) $23.87B, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) $23.27B.

Which stock is cheaper, SYF and AFRM?

Synchrony Financial (SYF) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Synchrony Financial (SYF) 7.4x, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 12.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Synchrony Financial (SYF) is cheapest (Synchrony Financial (SYF) 7.6x, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 37.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Synchrony Financial (SYF) +2.6%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) +32.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) has the highest net margin (Synchrony Financial (SYF) 16.8%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 45.3%). On return on invested capital, Synchrony Financial (SYF) leads (Synchrony Financial (SYF) 25.7%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 5.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Synchrony Financial (SYF) returned the most: Synchrony Financial (SYF) +0.5%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) -7.2%. Over five years, Synchrony Financial (SYF) compounded fastest (Synchrony Financial (SYF) +8.4%/yr, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) -14.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Synchrony Financial (SYF) 0.02%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 0.00%. Affirm Holdings (AFRM) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Synchrony Financial (SYF) has been the steadiest (Synchrony Financial (SYF) 31.7%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 59.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do SYF and AFRM move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.51, a moderate positive relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, SYF and AFRM?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Synchrony Financial (SYF) leads on 9. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.