Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Invests $2.86 Million in Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 46,855 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,861,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned approximately 0.09% of Bread Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its holdings in Bread Financial by 2,083.3% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 524 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Bread Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Bread Financial by 207.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bread Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $104,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Bread Financial by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,103 shares of the company's stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.52% of the company's stock.

Bread Financial Stock Performance

NYSE BFH traded down $2.01 on Wednesday, reaching $50.05. 969,278 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 873,143. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a PE ratio of 9.02, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $38.21 and a one year high of $66.71. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $49.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.32.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.76. Bread Financial had a net margin of 5.75% and a return on equity of 12.41%. The firm had revenue of $970.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $956.17 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.73 earnings per share. Bread Financial's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 6.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bread Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Bread Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.92%.

Bread Financial declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, March 5th that permits the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BFH has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Bread Financial from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Bread Financial from $68.00 to $58.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Bread Financial from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Bread Financial in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $60.27.

Bread Financial 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.