Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $24.00.

Several analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Bath & Body Works from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $39.00 to $17.00 in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $20.00 target price on Bath & Body Works in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $18.00 price target (down from $43.00) on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Bath & Body Works from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Bath & Body Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bath & Body Works

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bath & Body Works in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Bath & Body Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 217.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Bath & Body Works by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares during the last quarter. 95.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Bath & Body Works

Here are the key news stories impacting Bath & Body Works this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bath & Body Works says it will offer fewer discounts in 2026, a deliberate move to protect gross margins and improve profitability if execution sustains. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes a “major change customers will notice” (likely tied to merchandising/discounting strategy) that could lift average selling prices and margins. Investors often reward visibility on margin recovery. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory raised BBWI’s price target to $25 while keeping a Market Perform rating — a signal that some analysts are modeling better margin outcomes even if the view remains cautious. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector spotlight: Bath & Body Works was listed among consumer discretionary stocks worth watching, which can drive trading interest but is not a direct catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Numerous law firms (Rosen, Faruqi, Glancy, Pomerantz, Schall, Gross, Bernstein Liebhard, DJS, others) are soliciting Bath & Body Works investors about a securities‑fraud class action and urging lead‑plaintiff filings ahead of a March 16 deadline — increasing headline risk and the potential for costly litigation or settlement. Representative notice: Rosen Law Firm. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Additional plaintiff‑firm alerts increase the likelihood of consolidation into a lead plaintiff and amplify settlement/defense cost uncertainty; see Glancy/PR Newswire notices for more detail. Article Title

Bath & Body Works Stock Up 3.6%

BBWI stock opened at $19.46 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.16. Bath & Body Works has a 52-week low of $14.27 and a 52-week high of $34.66. The firm has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.18, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.48.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.59 billion. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 45.60% and a net margin of 8.90%.Bath & Body Works’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.09 EPS. Bath & Body Works has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.240-0.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.650 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Bath & Body Works will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio is 25.40%.

Bath & Body Works Company Profile

Bath & Body Works, Inc is a leading specialty retailer focused on personal care, home fragrance and complementary products. Through its flagship Bath & Body Works brand, the company offers a diverse assortment of shower gels, lotions, fragrance mists, candles and home fragrance items. Its product portfolio also includes the White Barn Candle Co range of premium scented candles and diffusers. Bath & Body Works serves consumers through a combination of brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce platforms, delivering seasonal collections, limited-edition releases and signature scent lines.

Founded in 1990 as part of Limited Brands (now L Brands), Bath & Body Works opened its first store in New Albany, Ohio, and quickly expanded across the United States.