Royce & Associates LP Has $11.53 Million Stock Holdings in Bath & Body Works, Inc. $BBWI

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP cut its Bath & Body Works stake by 50.3% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 573,951 shares valued at about $11.53 million.
• Bath & Body Works beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, posting $0.32 EPS on $1.38 billion in revenue, but sales still fell 3.2% year over year and management’s full-year outlook calls for continued sales pressure.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 4.1%, while analysts currently have a consensus rating of “Hold” with a target price of $21.21.

Royce & Associates LP lessened its holdings in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI - Free Report) by 50.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 573,951 shares of the company's stock after selling 581,228 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.28% of Bath & Body Works worth $11,525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Bath & Body Works by 29.9% in the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 369,452 shares of the company's stock worth $9,517,000 after purchasing an additional 85,000 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Bath & Body Works by 58.8% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 263,628 shares of the company's stock worth $6,791,000 after purchasing an additional 97,640 shares in the last quarter. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Bath & Body Works in the third quarter worth about $3,506,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Bath & Body Works by 725.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 466,338 shares of the company's stock worth $9,364,000 after purchasing an additional 409,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its position in Bath & Body Works by 113.2% in the third quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 206,381 shares of the company's stock worth $5,316,000 after purchasing an additional 109,595 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.14% of the company's stock.

Bath & Body Works Trading Up 10.3%

NYSE BBWI opened at $19.56 on Thursday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.27 and a 1-year high of $33.96. The company has a 50 day moving average of $18.65 and a 200-day moving average of $20.24. The firm has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.21, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.43.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.03. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 8.90% and a negative return on equity of 45.60%. The business had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. Bath & Body Works's revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Bath & Body Works has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.300-0.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.650 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid 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 of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Bath & Body Works's dividend payout ratio is 25.40%.

Bath & Body Works News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: BBWI reported Q1 adjusted EPS and revenue above Wall Street expectations, suggesting the business is performing better than feared. Bath & Body Works Stock Pops As Management Signals Turnaround Momentum Building
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed full-year guidance, which helped reassure investors that the turnaround remains on track and reduced fears of a deeper slowdown. Bath & Body Works shares gain as Q1 beat and reaffirmed guidance reassure investors
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s first-quarter sales still declined 3% year over year, showing that the turnaround is improving sentiment but has not yet returned the business to growth. Bath & Body Works Sales Fall Amid Turnaround Efforts
• Neutral Sentiment: Bath & Body Works also announced that CFO Eva Boratto will step down June 12, with an interim CFO and search process underway, adding some management transition risk. Bath-Body-Works-Reports-First-Quarter-Results-Exceeding-Guidance-and-Progress-Against-the-Consumer-First-Formula
• Negative Sentiment: While guidance was reaffirmed, full-year sales are still projected to decline, which may limit upside if the turnaround takes longer than expected. Bath-Body-Works-Reports-First-Quarter-Results-Exceeding-Guidance-and-Progress-Against-the-Consumer-First-Formula

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $26.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a report on Monday, April 20th. Citigroup lowered shares of Bath & Body Works from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $21.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.21.

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.

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