Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) Stock Price Up 4.9% – Still a Buy?

Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)’s share price rose 4.9% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $40.44 and last traded at $40.49. Approximately 2,439,409 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 3,274,427 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on BBWI shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Bath & Body Works from $51.00 to $48.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Bath & Body Works from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $41.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays upgraded Bath & Body Works from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Bath & Body Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $42.00 to $48.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bath & Body Works currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.19.

Bath & Body Works Stock Up 3.6 %

The company has a market cap of $8.66 billion, a PE ratio of 9.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.90.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.03. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 12.43% and a negative return on equity of 44.03%. The business had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bath & Body Works

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Bath & Body Works by 99.7% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 58.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in Bath & Body Works by 81.9% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 135.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 582 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

Bath & Body Works Company Profile

Bath & Body Works, Inc is a specialty retailers and home to America’s Favorite Fragrances, offering a breadth of exclusive fragrances for the body and home, including the selling collections for fine fragrance mist, body lotion and body cream, 3-wick candles, home fragrance diffusers and liquid hand soap.