Bread Financial Q1 EPS Estimate Boosted by Zacks Research

Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH) – Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Bread Financial in a note issued to investors on Monday, March 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $2.79 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.78. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Bread Financial’s current full-year earnings is $6.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Bread Financial’s Q2 2026 earnings at $2.48 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.28 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.32 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.42 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.67 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.08 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.74 EPS.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $1.67. The business had revenue of $975.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $954.74 million. Bread Financial had a net margin of 11.02% and a return on equity of 17.92%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 EPS.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Bread Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $84.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Bread Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $92.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Bread Financial from $82.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bread Financial in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective on shares of Bread Financial in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.09.

Bread Financial Stock Up 0.2%

BFH opened at $72.59 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.16. The company has a market capitalization of $3.13 billion, a PE ratio of 6.70, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.20. Bread Financial has a 1-year low of $38.21 and a 1-year high of $82.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bread Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Bread Financial by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 880,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,383,000 after acquiring an additional 78,229 shares during the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 8,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Bread Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $249,000. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its stake in Bread Financial by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 22,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,652,000 after purchasing an additional 4,303 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.52% of the company’s stock.

Bread Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Bread Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.49%.

Bread Financial declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 19% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

More Bread Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Bread Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford partnership could drive card/loan growth and revenue — Bread and Ford announced a long‑term agreement to launch a co‑branded credit card and installment loan program that will support vehicle subscriptions, parts, services and loyalty rewards. This expands Bread’s branded receivables opportunity, could lift origination volumes, interchange and installment fee income, and increases cross‑sell exposure to Ford customers. Ford and Bread Financial announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Near‑term EPS nudges by Zacks show modest upside — Zacks raised several near‑term 2026 quarter and FY2026 EPS forecasts (Q1 and Q2 2026, FY2026) by small amounts, suggesting analysts see continued earnings strength into the coming year despite conservatism elsewhere. (Zacks maintains a “Hold” rating.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains cautious — Bread carries a consensus “Hold” from analysts; that suggests the market may wait for proof that new partnerships (like Ford) and originations translate into durable earnings expansion. Consensus rating article
• Negative Sentiment: Small downward revisions to longer‑term estimates — Zacks trimmed a few later‑period estimates (Q4 2027, FY2028) and made minor cuts to some quarterly forecasts; while changes are modest, they highlight lingering uncertainty about long‑range margin and portfolio assumptions and limit upside to the stock’s valuation multiple.

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.