Natixis Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 61,274 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,785 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Bath & Body Works were worth $1,956,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Community Trust NA acquired a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its position in Bath & Body Works by 300.0% during the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Bath & Body Works by 65.4% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 730 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 23.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tobam purchased a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works in the 2nd quarter valued at $114,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

Bath & Body Works Stock Up 16.5 %

Bath & Body Works stock opened at $35.78 on Tuesday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.20 and a 52-week high of $52.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.66, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $30.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.74.

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

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BBWI shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Bath & Body Works from $54.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Monday. Barclays downgraded shares of Bath & Body Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $31.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Bath & Body Works from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $51.00 to $48.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.25.

Insider Activity at Bath & Body Works

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

Bath & Body Works 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.