Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) Shares Up 8.3% on Insider Buying Activity

Shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) were up 8.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday following insider buying activity. The stock traded as high as $16.88 and last traded at $16.8440. Approximately 4,939,699 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 16% from the average daily volume of 5,902,269 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.56.

Specifically, Director Lucy Brady acquired 3,470 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $14.40 per share, for a total transaction of $49,968.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,482 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $251,740.80. This represents a 24.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Francis Hondal bought 3,343 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $14.99 per share, for a total transaction of $50,111.57. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 21,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $323,094.46. This represents a 18.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In other Bath & Body Works news, Director Stephen D. Steinour purchased 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $14.86 per share, for a total transaction of $99,562.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 48,175 shares in the company, valued at $715,880.50. This trade represents a 16.15% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bath & Body Works from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Barclays cut their price target on Bath & Body Works from $28.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $19.00 target price (down from $33.00) on shares of Bath & Body Works in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Bath & Body Works from $35.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $18.00 target price (down previously from $43.00) on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research report on Friday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.17.

Bath & Body Works Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $24.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.90. The company has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.53.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.05). Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 48.43% and a net margin of 9.88%.The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.49 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Bath & Body Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.870- EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.700- EPS. Analysts predict that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 21st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in Bath & Body Works in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 217.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 63.3% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares in 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.