New York State Teachers Retirement System Decreases Stock Position in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 239,514 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,053 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.11% of Bath & Body Works worth $10,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BBWI. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its stake in Bath & Body Works by 1,180.4% in the fourth quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 653 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. Front Row Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works in the third quarter worth $25,000. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works in the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

Bath & Body Works Price Performance

Shares of BBWI stock opened at $45.37 on Thursday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.30 and a 1-year high of $50.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $46.06 and its 200 day moving average is $39.57. The company has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.86.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.21. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 37.01% and a net margin of 11.82%. The company had revenue of $2.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.3 EPS for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bath & Body Works

In other Bath & Body Works news, insider Thomas E. Mazurek sold 4,285 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.89, for a total value of $209,493.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,992 shares in the company, valued at $2,248,548.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on BBWI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Bath & Body Works from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Bath & Body Works from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on Bath & Body Works from $46.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Bath & Body Works from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Bath & Body Works from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bath & Body Works currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.33.

About Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works, Inc operates a specialty retailer of home fragrance, body care, and soaps and sanitizer products. It sells its products under the Bath & Body Works, White Barn, and other brand names through retail stores and e-commerce sites located in the United States and Canada, as well as through international stores operated by partners under franchise, license, and wholesale arrangements.