Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on BFH. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Bread Financial in a report on Friday, September 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bread Financial in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen increased their price target on Bread Financial from $111.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Evercore set a $118.00 price target on Bread Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Bread Financial from $120.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.21.

Bread Financial Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:BFH opened at $101.67 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.32, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.15. Bread Financial has a 12 month low of $59.26 and a 12 month high of $114.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $104.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.10.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $3.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.34 by $0.50. Bread Financial had a return on equity of 17.24% and a net margin of 11.19%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Bread Financial will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Bread Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 30th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Bread Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 30th. Bread Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bread Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Bread Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Bread Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bread Financial by 58.7% during the first 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. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in shares of Bread Financial during the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Bread Financial by 125.8% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. 99.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bread Financial Company Profile

Bread Financial Holdings, Inc (NYSE: BFH) is a financial services company that provides payment, lending and savings solutions to consumers and businesses. Its offerings include private-label and co-branded credit cards, installment lending, buy now, pay later services and deposit products.

The company operates through its Bread platform, which supports merchants with financing options, payment processing and customer loyalty solutions. Its consumer products have included Bread Cashback credit cards, Bread Pay installment payment services and Bread Savings deposit accounts.

Bread Financial primarily serves consumers and merchants in the United States, with solutions designed for retail, travel, home improvement and other industries.