Analysts Issue Forecasts for Bread Financial Q1 Earnings

Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH) – Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Bread Financial in a research note issued to investors on Friday, April 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $2.80 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.79. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Bread Financial’s current full-year earnings is $9.88 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Bread Financial’s FY2026 earnings at $9.29 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.41 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.49 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.84 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.33 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.07 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.81 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $11.05 EPS.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $1.67. The business had revenue of $975.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 previous year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $98.00 target price on shares of Bread Financial in a report on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America set a $92.00 price objective on shares of Bread Financial and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Bread Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Bread Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $92.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Bread Financial from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.83.

Bread Financial Price Performance

Bread Financial stock opened at $91.15 on Tuesday. Bread Financial has a 1 year low of $45.48 and a 1 year high of $93.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $75.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.21. The company has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.41, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Bread Financial announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 19% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Bread Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Bread Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.49%.

Institutional Trading of Bread Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BFH. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Bread Financial by 0.6% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,273,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,120,000 after acquiring an additional 30,962 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Bread Financial by 0.5% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,076,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,557,000 after purchasing an additional 16,143 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Bread Financial by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,029,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,273,000 after purchasing an additional 299,439 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 4.4% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,555,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,776,000 after acquiring an additional 65,223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,159,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,866,000 after acquiring an additional 14,257 shares during the last quarter. 99.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bread Financial News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple quarterly and annual EPS forecasts (across FY2026–FY2028 and several quarters) and maintains a “Strong‑Buy” on BFH — the upward revisions imply stronger profit outlook and provide analyst support for the stock. (Zacks research notes summarized on April 17)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a momentum-focused piece arguing BFH is an attractive momentum pick, which can attract short‑term buying from momentum and growth-oriented investors. Are You Looking for a Top Momentum Pick? Why Bread Financial Holdings (BFH) is a Great Choice
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary is questioning valuation after BFH’s ~104% one‑year rally — analysts and retail pieces are weighing whether further upside is justified or if gains are front‑loaded. That debate can increase intraday volatility but is mixed for directional conviction. Is It Too Late To Consider Bread Financial Holdings (BFH) After A 104% One Year Surge?
• Negative Sentiment: The large prior year gain raises the risk of profit‑taking and short‑term pullbacks; investors concerned about paying up after a big run may be sellers, which helps explain the stock trading lower despite analyst upgrades.

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.