1,715,801 Shares in Bath & Body Works, Inc. $BBWI Bought by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,715,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,686,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BBWI. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 801 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Bath & Body Works during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,742 shares during the period. 95.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BBWI. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Bath & Body Works from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bath & Body Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.57.

Key Headlines Impacting Bath & Body Works

Here are the key news stories impacting Bath & Body Works this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bath & Body Works reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.62, well above the $0.24 analyst consensus, while revenue of $1.51 billion slightly exceeded expectations. Bath & Body Works Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.60-$2.80, above its previous range of $2.40-$2.65 and ahead of the roughly $2.56 consensus. The company also reiterated revenue expectations of approximately $7.5-$7.6 billion. Bath & Body Works Raises Earnings Outlook on Higher Profit
• Positive Sentiment: Digital demand and direct-channel sales growth are offsetting weaker physical-store traffic. Management also highlighted ongoing transformation initiatives, including planned cost savings, stronger cash flow and potential balance-sheet improvement that could support future shareholder returns. Bath & Body Works lifts annual profit forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call and bullish commentary frame BBWI as a discounted turnaround opportunity, but investors will likely require sustained sales growth and execution before assigning a higher valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter net sales declined 2.3% year over year, and third-quarter adjusted EPS guidance of only $0.07-$0.12 is substantially below the approximately $0.27 consensus. The outlook reflects continued near-term pressure from store traffic and seasonality. Bath & Body Works falls despite earnings beat
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy put-option activity ahead of the report signaled elevated bearish hedging and helps explain the stock’s volatility despite the earnings beat.

Bath & Body Works Trading Up 7.6%

Shares of BBWI opened at $18.92 on Thursday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.27 and a twelve month high of $32.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.31, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $20.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.01.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 10.03% and a negative return on equity of 45.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. 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. Analysts predict that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio is 22.47%.

About Bath & Body Works

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.