Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Boosts Stock Position in Bath & Body Works, Inc. $BBWI

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 187.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,644 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 48,682 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Bath & Body Works were worth $1,499,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BBWI. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 47,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,225,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 16,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming grew its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 11,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in Bath & Body Works by 2.8% during the second quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 25,229 shares of the company’s stock worth $756,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in Bath & Body Works by 1.4% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 56,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,448,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares during the period. 95.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bath & Body Works Price Performance

NYSE BBWI opened at $18.68 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.18. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.27 and a 12 month high of $34.66. The company has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.93, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.48.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.59 billion. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 8.90% and a negative return on equity of 45.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. 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, Inc. will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio is 25.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BBWI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim started coverage on Bath & Body Works in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Zacks Research raised shares of Bath & Body Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup lowered Bath & Body Works from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $21.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued 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 $24.00.

About Bath & Body Works

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.