Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Hold"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Bread Financial to “Hold” from “Buy,” though the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $112.29.
• Bread Financial reported quarterly EPS of $3.55, beating estimates of $2.74, while revenue rose 6.9% year over year to $993 million.
• BFH shares opened at $108.34, near their 12-month high of $114.53; institutional investors own 99.52% of the company, while a director recently sold 2,802 shares.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on BFH. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Bread Financial in a research note on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Bread Financial from $94.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Bread Financial from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Wolfe Research raised Bread Financial from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $107.00 price objective on Bread Financial in a research report on Friday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $112.29.

Bread Financial Price Performance

Shares of BFH stock opened at $108.34 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Bread Financial has a twelve month low of $53.83 and a twelve month high of $114.53. The company has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $106.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.79.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $3.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.81. The firm had revenue of $993.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $959.32 million. Bread Financial had a return on equity of 18.42% and a net margin of 11.95%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.15 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Bread Financial will post 12.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Praniti Lakhwara sold 2,802 shares of Bread Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.12, for a total transaction of $297,348.24. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $473,082.96. The trade was a 38.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Bread Financial by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,842 shares of the company's stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Bread Financial by 27.2% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 679 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 58.7% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 614 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Bread Financial by 1.7% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 16,576 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,241,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Bread Financial by 125.8% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 490 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. 99.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Bread Financial

Bread Financial Corporation NYSE: BFH is a financial services company that provides payment, lending and savings solutions for consumers and businesses. Its offerings include private-label and co-branded credit cards, installment loans, buy now, pay later financing and direct-to-consumer savings products.

The company works with retailers and brands to design and manage customized credit programs, including account servicing, underwriting, transaction processing and customer engagement services.

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