Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $42.25.

Several research analysts have weighed in on BBWI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Bath & Body Works from $60.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Raymond James lowered their target price on Bath & Body Works from $51.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays downgraded Bath & Body Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $31.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $52.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $54.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 29th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Gina Boswell acquired 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $29.64 per share, with a total value of $177,840.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 242,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,202,134.68. This trade represents a 2.53 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bath & Body Works

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BBWI. Anomaly Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $113,995,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 17,496.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,516,127 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,315,000 after acquiring an additional 2,501,828 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in Bath & Body Works by 9,023.5% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,701,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,322,000 after acquiring an additional 1,683,160 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the third quarter valued at $50,483,000. Finally, Lone Pine Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 15.8% during the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 11,315,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $441,871,000 after purchasing an additional 1,547,399 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

Bath & Body Works Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE BBWI opened at $30.71 on Friday. Bath & Body Works has a 12 month low of $26.20 and a 12 month high of $52.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $30.55 and a 200-day moving average of $35.91. The company has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.79.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.54 billion. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 12.69% and a negative return on equity of 41.94%. Analysts predict that Bath & Body Works will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. Bath & Body Works’s payout ratio is presently 19.37%.

Bath & Body Works Company Profile

Bath & Body Works, Inc operates a specialty retailer of home fragrance, body care, and soaps and sanitizer products. It sells its products under the Bath & Body Works, White Barn, and other brand names through retail stores and e-commerce sites located in the United States and Canada, as well as through international stores operated by partners under franchise, license, and wholesale arrangements.