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

Shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $42.25.

BBWI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Bath & Body Works from $60.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Bath & Body Works from $45.00 to $35.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Bath & Body Works from $54.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Barclays downgraded shares of Bath & Body Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Bath & Body Works Stock Performance

Shares of BBWI stock opened at $30.71 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $30.55 and a 200-day moving average of $35.91. The stock has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.79. Bath & Body Works has a 52-week low of $26.20 and a 52-week high of $52.99.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 41.94% and a net margin of 12.69%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Bath & Body Works will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Gina Boswell purchased 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $29.64 per share, for a total transaction of $177,840.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Community Trust NA acquired a new position in Bath & Body Works during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 5,270.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 1,054 shares during the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 300.0% in 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. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 224.0% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 1,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 1,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in Bath & Body Works by 24.2% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

About Bath & Body Works

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.