Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 502,255 Shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. $BBWI

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake in Bath & Body Works by 1.9% (selling 502,255 shares) and still owns 26,030,589 shares, or 12.72% of the company worth about $522.7 million.
• Bath & Body Works beat quarterly expectations with $2.05 EPS vs. $1.77 expected and $2.72B revenue, provided Q1 and FY 2026 guidance (Q1: $0.240–0.300; FY: $2.400–2.650), and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.20 (annualized 4.3% yield, 25.4% payout ratio).
• Analysts remain cautious with a consensus "Hold" rating and an average price target of $23 (three Buy vs. fourteen Hold), while the stock trades near $18.58, suggesting potential upside to the target.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,030,589 shares of the company's stock after selling 502,255 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.72% of Bath & Body Works worth $522,694,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 217.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,169 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,000. 95.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BBWI shares. Citigroup cut Bath & Body Works from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the company from $21.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Bath & Body Works in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a "hold" rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Bath & Body Works from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bath & Body Works presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $23.00.

Bath & Body Works Stock Performance

NYSE BBWI opened at $18.58 on Tuesday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.27 and a fifty-two week high of $34.66. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.10. The stock has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.43.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.28. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 45.60% and a net margin of 8.90%.The business had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. The business's revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Bath & Body Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.40%.

Bath & Body Works Profile

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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