Makaira Partners LLC Sells 40,200 Shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

Makaira Partners LLC decreased its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,262,506 shares of the company’s stock after selling 40,200 shares during the period. Bath & Body Works comprises about 13.7% of Makaira Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Makaira Partners LLC owned about 1.04% of Bath & Body Works worth $87,717,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 99.7% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 659 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Bath & Body Works by 58.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 81.9% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Bath & Body Works during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 95.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on BBWI. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $46.00 to $37.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Bath & Body Works from $48.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Bath & Body Works from $49.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.69.

Bath & Body Works Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Bath & Body Works stock opened at $29.61 on Monday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 1 year low of $24.96 and a 1 year high of $52.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $31.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.86. The company has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.69.

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

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Bath & Body Works’s payout ratio is currently 21.98%.

Bath & Body Works announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 27th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 6.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.