Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 28,186 Shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 46.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Bath & Body Works Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE BBWI opened at $30.24 on Friday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.21 and a 52 week high of $52.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $35.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.48 billion, a PE 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.78 billion. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 44.03% and a net margin of 12.43%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 6.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on BBWI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $43.00 price target on shares of Bath & Body Works in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Bath & Body Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $42.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Bath & Body Works from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bath & Body Works has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.