Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Boosts Holdings in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) by 5,449.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 395,942 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 388,807 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.18% of Bath & Body Works worth $17,089,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 10.4% during the first quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,000 after buying an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Toroso Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 3.7% during the third quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 8,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 3.3% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 11,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 2.2% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 16,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 8,931 shares of the company’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.14% of the company’s stock.

Bath & Body Works Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE BBWI opened at $49.45 on Thursday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.30 and a fifty-two week high of $49.46. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $45.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.74. The stock has a market cap of $11.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.85.

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

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BBWI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Bath & Body Works from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Barclays downgraded shares of Bath & Body Works from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $37.00 to $45.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Bath & Body Works in a report on Thursday, February 29th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $35.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bath & Body Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.80.

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.