Acadian Asset Management LLC Sells 89,619 Shares of Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. $BFH

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. by 32.2%, now holding 188,542 shares valued at approximately $9.44 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased or initiated their positions in Bread Financial, with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. notably growing its stake by 104.8% to own 736,604 shares worth $36.89 million.
• Analyst ratings for Bread Financial are mixed, with an average price target of $64.91 and ratings ranging from "Buy" to "Sell" among various investment firms.

Acadian Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH - Free Report) by 32.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 188,542 shares of the company's stock after selling 89,619 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned 0.41% of Bread Financial worth $9,438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Bread Financial by 28.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,457 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Bread Financial by 15.0% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,816 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,000 after purchasing an additional 1,412 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Bread Financial by 39.0% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 217,773 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,905,000 after purchasing an additional 61,047 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Bread Financial by 2.9% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 488,316 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,455,000 after purchasing an additional 13,656 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Bread Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $338,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.52% of the company's stock.

Bread Financial Stock Performance

BFH traded up $1.94 on Thursday, reaching $63.76. The company had a trading volume of 110,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 794,359. Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.21 and a fifty-two week high of $68.01. The stock has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.46. The company's fifty day moving average is $62.24 and its 200 day moving average is $54.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $3.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85 by $1.29. Bread Financial had a net margin of 6.05% and a return on equity of 13.10%. The business had revenue of $929.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $944.69 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. Bread Financial's quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Bread Financial has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bread Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Bread Financial's dividend payout ratio is 14.21%.

Bread Financial announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, August 27th that allows the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BFH shares. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $52.00 price target (up previously from $45.00) on shares of Bread Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bread Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Bread Financial from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, BTIG Research set a $105.00 price target on shares of Bread Financial and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bread Financial has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $64.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John J. Fawcett purchased 1,027 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $61.79 per share, for a total transaction of $63,458.33. Following the purchase, the director owned 10,302 shares in the company, valued at approximately $636,560.58. This represents a 11.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company's stock.

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.