Synchrony Financial SYF will release second-quarter 2021 results on Jul 20, before the market opens.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter’s earnings is pegged at $1.51 per share. The year-ago quarter’s earnings were delivered at 6 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the top line stands at $3.4 billion, indicating a 1% downfall from the year-earlier quarter’s reported number.Synchrony Financial delivered first-quarter 2021 earnings per share of $1.73, which outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 15.3%. The bottom line improved 198.3% year over year on the back of lower expenses.Key Factors to Impact Q2 ResultsThe company is likely to have witnessed lower interest and fees on loans from its Retail Card, Payment Solutions and CareCredit segments. It is expected to have consistently gained from its digital sales volume.Net interest income of the company is likely to have decreased due to lower finance charges and late fees.The company is expected to have witnessed a decline in expenses in the to-be-reported quarter owing to reduced purchase volume and accounts, employee costs and operational losses, which in turn, might have aided its margins. This decrease is expected to have been supported by improved operational losses, and lower marketing and business development costs.On its last earnings call, the company expected current delinquencies to result in lower net charge-offs. The consensus mark for the same stands at 3.75, indicating a decline from the year-ago quarter’s average of 5.35.New account volume might have seen a significant rise over the last few quarters. The company is expected to have benefited from a better purchase volume as the economy is bouncing back and people are spending more now.It is expected to have continued with its share buyback policy in the second quarter.The efficiency ratio has been suffering muted revenues for a while now due to reduced receivables, and lower interest and fee yield. However, it is expected to be better in the second quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the efficiency ratio is pegged at 36.7%, suggesting a rise from the prior-year period’s reported figure of 36.3%.What the Quantitative Model PredictsOur proven model doesn’t predict an earnings beat for Synchrony Financial this reporting cycle. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of a positive surprise, which is not the case here. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Earnings ESP: Synchrony Financial has an Earnings ESP of -1.10%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Synchrony Financial Price and EPS Surprise Synchrony Financial price-eps-surprise | Synchrony Financial QuoteZacks Rank: Synchrony Financial currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 but a negative Earnings ESP in the combination leaves surprise prediction inconclusive.Stocks to ConsiderSome stocks worth considering from the finance sector with a perfect mix of elements to surpass estimates in the upcoming quarterly releases are as follows:Discover Financial Services DFS has an Earnings ESP of +5.16% and a Zacks Rank #3, currently. Moodys Corporation MCO has an Earnings ESP of +3.50% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present.Principal Financial Group, Inc. PFG has an Earnings ESP of +0.66% and is currently Zacks #3 Ranked. Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Discover Financial Services (DFS): Free Stock Analysis Report Moodys Corporation (MCO): Free Stock Analysis Report Principal Financial Group, Inc. (PFG): Free Stock Analysis Report Synchrony Financial (SYF): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research