Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) Downgraded to Buy Rating by Wall Street Zen

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Bread Financial from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $83.00 price target on shares of Bread Financial in a report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research lowered Bread Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bread Financial in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of Bread Financial in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Five equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bread Financial presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.09.

Bread Financial Price Performance

Shares of Bread Financial stock opened at $75.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Bread Financial has a one year low of $38.21 and a one year high of $82.03. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.26.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $1.67. Bread Financial had a net margin of 11.02% and a return on equity of 17.92%. The firm had revenue of $975.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $954.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Bread Financial will post 6.45 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Bread Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in Bread Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Bread Financial by 141.2% in 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 in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 127.2% in the second 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. Finally, BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Bread Financial during the second quarter valued at $42,000. 99.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Bread Financial Company Profile

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.