Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $96.4167.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BFH. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Bread Financial from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wolfe Research restated a “positive” rating on shares of Bread Financial in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Bread Financial from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. BTIG Research upped their target price on shares of Bread Financial from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Bread Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th.

Bread Financial Price Performance

Shares of BFH opened at $104.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.20 billion, a PE ratio of 8.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. Bread Financial has a fifty-two week low of $53.83 and a fifty-two week high of $105.20. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $90.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.91.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $4.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $1.18. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $992.05 million. Bread Financial had a net margin of 11.90% and a return on equity of 18.79%. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.86 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Bread Financial will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bread Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Bread Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.53%.

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

Insider Transactions at Bread Financial

In related news, Director Roger H. Ballou sold 9,687 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 30,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,716,735.28. This trade represents a 24.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John J. Fawcett acquired 698 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $86.43 per share, with a total value of $60,328.14. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $950,730. This represents a 6.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bread Financial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BFH. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Bread Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in Bread Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Bread Financial by 141.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Bread Financial by 58.7% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 614 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Bread Financial by 127.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 711 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.52% of the company’s stock.

About Bread Financial

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.