Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) Upgraded at Evercore ISI

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) was upgraded by research analysts at Evercore ISI from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $90.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI’s target price indicates a potential upside of 17.49% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of Bread Financial in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Zacks Research cut Bread Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Bread Financial from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Bread Financial from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Bread Financial in a report on Monday, January 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $80.09.

Bread Financial Stock Up 1.6%

BFH stock opened at $76.60 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a PE ratio of 7.07, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.26. Bread Financial has a twelve month low of $38.21 and a twelve month high of $82.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.82.

Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $975.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $954.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Bread Financial will post 6.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bread Financial declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bread Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Curat Global LLC grew its position in Bread Financial by 81,068.5% during the 2nd quarter. Curat Global LLC now owns 450,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,732,000 after acquiring an additional 449,930 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Bread Financial by 241.1% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 537,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,711,000 after buying an additional 380,039 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Bread Financial by 104.8% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,889,000 after buying an additional 376,920 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Bread Financial by 100.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 716,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,059,000 after acquiring an additional 359,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Bread Financial by 44.5% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 943,659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,628,000 after acquiring an additional 290,803 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.52% of the company’s stock.

About Bread Financial

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.