AFRM vs. SYF: Affirm vs. Synchrony Financial Stock Comparison
How do Affirm (AFRM) and Synchrony Financial (SYF) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.
Company Profile
Affirm (AFRM) and Synchrony Financial (SYF) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but AFRM is classified in Financial Services while SYF is classified in Consumer Finance.
| Profile Item | AFRM | SYF |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Affirm Holdings, Inc. | Synchrony Financial |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Financials | Financials |
| GICS Industry Group | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| GICS Industry | Financial Services | Consumer Finance |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Transaction & Payment Processing Services | Consumer Finance |
| Market Capitalization | 23.09 billion USD | 23.99 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | NYSE |
| Listing Date | January 13, 2021 | July 31, 2014 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | SYF |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | -6.89% | 2.84% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 40.23% | 39.02% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -15.36% | 10.89% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | SYF |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 58.20% | 31.32% |
| Beta (5Y) | 3.70 | 1.40 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -94.35% | -44.60% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 4.46M | 3.37M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | SYF |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | -0.19 | -0.05 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | -0.28 | -0.06 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) at 44.49% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Synchrony Financial (SYF) at 19.83% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AFRM.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
44.49%
- Max
- 44.78%
- AFRM
- 44.49%
- Q3
- 21.85%
- Median
- 12.91%
- Q1
- 4.48%
- Min
- -18.71%
SYF
Financial Services industry group
19.83%
- Max
- 44.78%
- Q3
- 21.85%
- SYF
- 19.83%
- Median
- 12.91%
- Q1
- 4.48%
- Min
- -18.71%
Net Margin (TTM)
For every dollar of sales, both Affirm (AFRM) at 43.86% and Synchrony Financial (SYF) at 34.07% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
43.86%
- Max
- 62.84%
- AFRM
- 43.86%
- Q3
- 28.05%
- Median
- 15.36%
- Q1
- 4.82%
- Min
- -28.52%
SYF
Financial Services industry group
34.07%
- Max
- 62.84%
- SYF
- 34.07%
- Q3
- 28.05%
- Median
- 15.36%
- Q1
- 4.82%
- Min
- -28.52%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Both Affirm (AFRM) at 14.82% and Synchrony Financial (SYF) at 49.84% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
14.82%
- Max
- 107.33%
- Q3
- 55.90%
- Median
- 30.09%
- AFRM
- 14.82%
- Q1
- 14.60%
- Min
- -44.34%
SYF
Financial Services industry group
49.84%
- Max
- 107.33%
- Q3
- 55.90%
- SYF
- 49.84%
- Median
- 30.09%
- Q1
- 14.60%
- Min
- -44.34%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | SYF |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 44.49% | 19.83% |
| ROA (TTM) | 2.42% | 2.78% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 43.86% | 34.07% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 14.82% | 49.84% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Affirm (AFRM) at 32.15% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Synchrony Financial (SYF) at -0.50% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.
EPS Growth
Affirm (AFRM) at 3,586.67% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Synchrony Financial (SYF) at 8.54%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | SYF |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 32.15% | -0.50% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 38.96% | 8.67% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | 3,586.67% | 8.54% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | 14.70% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Affirm (AFRM) in Financial Services and Synchrony Financial (SYF) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Affirm (AFRM) in Financial Services and Synchrony Financial (SYF) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | SYF |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | -- | -- |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Synchrony Financial (SYF) reports a yield of 1.67%, ranking against industry peers normally.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 9.77%
- Q3
- 3.92%
- Median
- 1.09%
- AFRM
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
SYF
Financial Services industry group
1.67%
- Max
- 9.77%
- Q3
- 3.92%
- SYF
- 1.67%
- Median
- 1.09%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Synchrony Financial (SYF) reports a payout of 12.94%, ranking against industry peers normally.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 241.07%
- Q3
- 97.36%
- Median
- 25.77%
- AFRM
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
SYF
Financial Services industry group
12.94%
- Max
- 241.07%
- Q3
- 97.36%
- Median
- 25.77%
- SYF
- 12.94%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | SYF |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 1.67% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 12.94% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Synchrony Financial (SYF) at 7.70 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Affirm (AFRM) at 11.80 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for SYF, though growth and earnings durability still matter.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
11.80
- Max
- 45.85
- Q3
- 24.64
- Median
- 15.37
- AFRM
- 11.80
- Q1
- 9.68
- Min
- 0.16
SYF
Financial Services industry group
7.70
- Max
- 45.85
- Q3
- 24.64
- Median
- 15.37
- Q1
- 9.68
- SYF
- 7.70
- Min
- 0.16
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Synchrony Financial (SYF) at 2.45 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Affirm (AFRM) at 5.03 sits in the pricier quartile — AFRM costs more per dollar of sales.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
5.03
- Max
- 9.23
- AFRM
- 5.03
- Q3
- 4.57
- Median
- 2.72
- Q1
- 1.28
- Min
- -0.55
SYF
Financial Services industry group
2.45
- Max
- 9.23
- Q3
- 4.57
- Median
- 2.72
- SYF
- 2.45
- Q1
- 1.28
- Min
- -0.55
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Synchrony Financial (SYF) at 1.55 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Affirm (AFRM) at 4.01 carries an above-peer premium to book — AFRM is pricier on assets.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
4.01
- Max
- 7.79
- AFRM
- 4.01
- Q3
- 3.63
- Median
- 1.57
- Q1
- 0.81
- Min
- -0.39
SYF
Financial Services industry group
1.55
- Max
- 7.79
- Q3
- 3.63
- Median
- 1.57
- SYF
- 1.55
- Q1
- 0.81
- Min
- -0.39
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | SYF |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 11.80 | 7.70 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 5.03 | 2.45 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 4.01 | 1.55 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | -- | -- |