South Dakota Investment Council Boosts Holdings in Bath & Body Works, Inc. $BBWI

South Dakota Investment Council increased its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 4.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,756,048 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 71,255 shares during the quarter. Bath & Body Works comprises approximately 0.6% of South Dakota Investment Council’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Bath & Body Works were worth $32,785,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BBWI. Chase Investment Counsel Corp purchased a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the fourth quarter worth about $1,606,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 462.6% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 108,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,184,000 after purchasing an additional 89,432 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 200.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 137,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,057,000 after purchasing an additional 91,606 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Bath & Body Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,175,000. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bath & Body Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,053,000. 95.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bath & Body Works Stock Down 4.0%

NYSE BBWI opened at $19.67 on Thursday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.27 and a 52-week high of $32.32. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $20.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.40. The firm has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.38.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 45.34% and a net margin of 10.03%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Bath & Body Works’s payout ratio is presently 22.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BBWI. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Bath & Body Works in a research note on Friday, May 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded Bath & Body Works from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.93.

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.