Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) Trading 8.5% Higher – Time to Buy?
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemBath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI – Get Free Report)’s stock price traded up 8.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $19.80 and last traded at $19.5790. 878,984 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 5,464,712 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.04.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BBWI shares. Citigroup lowered Bath & Body Works from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $21.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Zacks Research raised shares of Bath & Body Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Bath & Body Works in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bath & Body Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.00.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Bath & Body Works
Bath & Body Works Trading Up 8.7%
The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.58. The company has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 6.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.50.
Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.59 billion. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 8.90% and a negative return on equity of 45.60%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. Bath & Body Works has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.240-0.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bath & Body Works
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its position in Bath & Body Works by 33.8% during the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,852,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,248,000 after buying an additional 719,795 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 22,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 5,739 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in Bath & Body Works in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. boosted its position in Bath & Body Works by 68.3% during the fourth quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 13,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 5,638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 43.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 652,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,112,000 after purchasing an additional 198,324 shares during the period. 95.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Bath & Body Works Company Profile
Bath & Body Works, Inc is a leading specialty retailer focused on personal care, home fragrance and complementary products. Through its flagship Bath & Body Works brand, the company offers a diverse assortment of shower gels, lotions, fragrance mists, candles and home fragrance items. Its product portfolio also includes the White Barn Candle Co range of premium scented candles and diffusers. Bath & Body Works serves consumers through a combination of brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce platforms, delivering seasonal collections, limited-edition releases and signature scent lines.
Founded in 1990 as part of Limited Brands (now L Brands), Bath & Body Works opened its first store in New Albany, Ohio, and quickly expanded across the United States.