MQS Management LLC Takes $241,000 Position in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)

MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $241,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Missouri Trust & Investment Co purchased a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the third quarter worth approximately $1,178,000. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the third quarter worth approximately $368,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works during the third quarter worth approximately $15,169,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 404.4% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 134,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,295,000 after acquiring an additional 107,868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, River Global Investors LLP raised its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 22.2% during the third quarter. River Global Investors LLP now owns 40,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,279,000 after acquiring an additional 7,286 shares in the last quarter. 95.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bath & Body Works news, CEO Gina Boswell bought 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $29.64 per share, with a total value of $177,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 242,987 shares in the company, valued at $7,202,134.68. This represents a 2.53 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target (down from $52.00) on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $54.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $42.00 target price on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $48.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Bath & Body Works from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.44.

Bath & Body Works Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of BBWI stock opened at $31.54 on Friday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.20 and a 12 month high of $52.99. The stock has a market cap of $6.91 billion, a PE ratio of 7.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.79. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $30.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.49.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.54 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. Bath & Body Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.37%.

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.