Graham Capital Management L.P. Cuts Stock Holdings in Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH)

Graham Capital Management L.P. lessened its stake in Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH - Free Report) by 88.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,772 shares of the company's stock after selling 60,747 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Bread Financial were worth $475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its position in Bread Financial by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 7,248 shares of the company's stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,202 shares of the company's stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 4,872 shares of the company's stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 5,329 shares of the company's stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in Bread Financial by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 30,641 shares of the company's stock worth $1,871,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.52% of the company's stock.

Bread Financial Trading Down 1.1%

BFH traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $53.38. 629,724 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 875,028. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.78. Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.21 and a 52-week high of $66.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a PE ratio of 9.62, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Bread Financial declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, March 5th that allows the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Bread Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Bread Financial's payout ratio is currently 14.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Bread Financial from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Bread Financial from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Bread Financial from $68.00 to $58.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Bread Financial from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Bread Financial in a report on Monday, April 28th. Three 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bread Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $60.27.

About Bread Financial

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.