SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 315,034 Shares of Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. $BFH

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH) by 899.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 350,061 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 315,034 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Bread Financial were worth $26,216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bread Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in Bread Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Bread Financial by 141.2% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Bread Financial by 127.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in Bread Financial in the fourth quarter worth $56,000. 99.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bread Financial

In related news, CEO Ralph J. Andretta sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.10, for a total value of $1,336,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 582,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,877,673.10. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Roger H. Ballou sold 9,687 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.32, for a total transaction of $874,929.84. Following the sale, the director owned 30,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,716,735.28. This trade represents a 24.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Bread Financial Stock Up 1.1%

Bread Financial stock opened at $104.97 on Thursday. Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.83 and a 12 month high of $105.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.60, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.12.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $4.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $1.18. Bread Financial had a return on equity of 18.79% and a net margin of 11.90%.The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $992.05 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bread Financial announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 19% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Bread Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Bread Financial’s payout ratio is currently 7.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on BFH. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Bread Financial from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Wolfe Research reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Bread Financial in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Bread Financial in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $104.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Bread Financial in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Bread Financial in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.42.

Bread Financial Profile

Bread Financial, formerly known as Alliance Data Systems, is a Columbus, Ohio–based financial services company that specializes in providing private label credit programs, co-brand credit cards and digital payment solutions for retail partners. The company designs, issues and services proprietary credit products, enabling merchants to offer branded financing options that drive customer loyalty and increase basket sizes at the point of sale. Through its Bread technology platform, Bread Financial delivers installment-based payment options that integrate directly into e-commerce and in-store checkout experiences.

In addition to its core credit offerings, Bread Financial provides analytics, marketing and loyalty services to help merchants better understand consumer behavior and optimize promotional strategies.