Royce & Associates LP Boosts Holdings in Bath & Body Works, Inc. $BBWI

Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 357.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,155,179 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 902,781 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned about 0.56% of Bath & Body Works worth $29,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 92.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 59,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,815,000 after acquiring an additional 28,815 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Bath & Body Works by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 645,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,586,000 after purchasing an additional 87,529 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 7.0% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 562,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,063,000 after buying an additional 36,684 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bath & Body Works in the first quarter valued at about $1,155,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 217.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 801 shares during the last quarter. 95.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bath & Body Works Stock Down 2.5%

BBWI opened at $22.73 on Monday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.27 and a 52 week high of $37.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.68. The firm has a market cap of $4.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.48.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio is 24.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BBWI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Bath & Body Works from $26.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Bath & Body Works in a report on Thursday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $21.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $18.00 price target (down from $43.00) on shares of Bath & Body Works in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $17.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $23.71.

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.