Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Position in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 30.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 137,610 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,233 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Bath & Body Works were worth $4,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 5,270.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,054 shares during the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 300.0% during the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 480.3% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,436 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 34.4% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the third quarter worth about $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

Bath & Body Works Stock Performance

Shares of BBWI opened at $38.21 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $32.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.78. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a one year low of $26.20 and a one year high of $52.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.32, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.83.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 12.43% and a negative return on equity of 44.03%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.48 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.51%.

Insider Transactions at Bath & Body Works

In related news, CEO Gina Boswell purchased 6,000 shares of Bath & Body Works stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $29.64 per share, for a total transaction of $177,840.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 242,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,202,134.68. The trade was a 2.53 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Bath & Body Works from $54.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Bath & Body Works from $45.00 to $35.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Bath & Body Works from $54.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bath & Body Works presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.50.

Bath & Body Works Company Profile

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.