Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) Given New $48.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $51.00 to $48.00 in a research report issued on Thursday. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's target price suggests a potential upside of 55.79% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Bath & Body Works from $60.00 to $49.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays cut shares of Bath & Body Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $31.00 to $28.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $54.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $52.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.25.

Bath & Body Works Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Bath & Body Works stock traded up $0.06 on Thursday, hitting $30.81. 4,230,423 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,838,460. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $30.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.10. Bath & Body Works has a 1-year low of $26.20 and a 1-year high of $52.99.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.02. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 12.69% and a negative return on equity of 41.94%. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Research analysts forecast that Bath & Body Works will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Gina Boswell purchased 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $29.64 per share, for a total transaction of $177,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 242,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,202,134.68. This trade represents a 2.53 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bath & Body Works

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC raised its position in Bath & Body Works by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co increased its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 2.5% in the first quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co now owns 13,094 shares of the company's stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in Bath & Body Works by 1.0% in the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 31,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,560,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Bath & Body Works by 24.2% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the period. Finally, Citizens & Northern Corp grew its stake in Bath & Body Works by 1.7% in the second quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 29,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,151,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the period. 95.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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