SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 99.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 659 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 329 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Bath & Body Works were worth $26,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 135.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 582 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 54,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,112,000 after buying an additional 7,025 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,378,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 52,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,030,000 after buying an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 93.9% during the 4th quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 29,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after buying an additional 14,225 shares in the last quarter. 95.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bath & Body Works Stock Down 4.5 %

BBWI stock opened at $32.66 on Friday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.20 and a 52-week high of $52.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.89.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.05. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 44.03% and a net margin of 12.43%. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.78 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on BBWI. Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $47.00 price objective on Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective (up from $42.00) on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.