Russell Investments Group Ltd. Decreases Stock Position in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 173,208 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,985 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.08% of Bath & Body Works worth $6,715,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 99.7% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 58.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 81.9% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 957 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Bath & Body Works during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on BBWI shares. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $43.00 target price on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $47.00 price target on Bath & Body Works in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $48.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $46.00 price objective (up previously from $42.00) on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.06.

Bath & Body Works Price Performance

Bath & Body Works stock opened at $26.54 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.00. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 12 month low of $24.96 and a 12 month high of $52.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 6.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.69.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.05. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 12.43% and a negative return on equity of 44.03%. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.78 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.3 EPS for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.98%.

Bath & Body Works announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 6.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.