Bath & Body Works Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:BBWI)

Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 6,948 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 64% compared to the average daily volume of 4,230 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bath & Body Works

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BBWI. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Bath & Body Works by 217.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 801 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works in the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 5,278.8% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,742 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

Bath & Body Works Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of NYSE BBWI traded up $0.80 during trading on Friday, reaching $19.45. The company had a trading volume of 3,256,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,773,326. Bath & Body Works has a twelve month low of $14.27 and a twelve month high of $32.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a PE ratio of 5.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.97.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 10.83%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. Bath & Body Works has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.070-0.120 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.600-2.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Bath & Body Works will post 2.67 EPS for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Bath & Body Works’s payout ratio is 20.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on BBWI shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Bath & Body Works from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $19.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Bath & Body Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.29.

Bath & Body Works Company 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.