Investors Purchase Large Volume of Bath & Body Works Put Options (NYSE:BBWI)

Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors acquired 17,302 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 198% compared to the typical volume of 5,811 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on BBWI shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Bath & Body Works from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Argus restated a "hold" rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Bath & Body Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $42.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Bath & Body Works from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.06.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bath & Body Works

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBWI. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,129,000. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP grew its position in Bath & Body Works by 19.1% during the third quarter. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP now owns 1,467,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,851,000 after acquiring an additional 235,173 shares during the last quarter. Anthracite Investment Company Inc. bought a new position in Bath & Body Works during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,921,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 328.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,069,941 shares of the company's stock worth $34,153,000 after acquiring an additional 820,379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 1,078.2% in the 3rd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 49,331 shares of the company's stock worth $1,575,000 after acquiring an additional 45,144 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.14% of the company's stock.

Bath & Body Works Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE BBWI traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $36.78. 3,152,026 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,422,436. The business's fifty day moving average price is $36.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.69. The company has a market cap of $7.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.97, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.82. Bath & Body Works has a 12-month low of $26.20 and a 12-month high of $52.99.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.49 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 analysts' expectations of $1.58 billion. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 12.43% and a negative return on equity of 44.03%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Bath & Body Works will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. Bath & Body Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.51%.

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.