Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 46.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89,460 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,186 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Bath & Body Works were worth $3,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BBWI. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Bath & Body Works by 68.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 10,711 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 18.4% in the third quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 33,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after buying an additional 5,203 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 1,842.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 175,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,596,000 after buying an additional 166,277 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 46.8% in the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 9,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 2,902 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Bath & Body Works in the 3rd quarter valued at about $309,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

Bath & Body Works Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BBWI opened at $30.24 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $35.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.95. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.21 and a 12-month high of $52.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.89.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.78 billion. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 44.03% and a net margin of 12.43%. Equities research analysts expect that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio is 21.98%.

Bath & Body Works declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 6.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BBWI shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $47.00 price target on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bath & Body Works presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.06.

Bath & Body Works 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.