Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $60.44 and last traded at $60.17, with a volume of 18891 shares. The stock had previously closed at $52.76.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Bread Financial from $61.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Bread Financial from $40.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Bread Financial from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Bread Financial from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Compass Point increased their target price on shares of Bread Financial from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.64.

Bread Financial Stock Down 2.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 1.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $51.13 and its 200-day moving average is $47.35.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.03). Bread Financial had a net margin of 6.37% and a return on equity of 13.33%. The business had revenue of $983.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $981.26 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.46 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 7.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Bread Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Bread Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John J. Fawcett acquired 1,000 shares of Bread Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $51.02 per share, with a total value of $51,020.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,473 shares in the company, valued at $330,252.46. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bread Financial

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 33.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bread Financial by 6.2% during the third quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of Bread Financial by 2.1% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $617,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 2.8% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 13,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd boosted its position in Bread Financial by 30.0% during the second quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 1,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 397 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 provides tech-forward payment and lending solutions to customers and consumer-based industries in North America. It offers credit card and other loans financing services, including risk management solutions, account origination, and funding services for private label and co-brand credit card programs, as well as through Bread partnerships; and Comenity-branded general purpose cash-back credit.