Man Group plc Makes New $22.67 Million Investment in Bath & Body Works, Inc. $BBWI

Man Group plc purchased a new stake in shares of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 980,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,670,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BBWI. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bath & Body Works in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,830,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the second quarter valued at approximately $13,651,000. Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the second quarter valued at approximately $7,110,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Bath & Body Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $46,706,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Bath & Body Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,143,000. 95.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Bath & Body Works Trading Up 7.6%

Shares of Bath & Body Works stock opened at $18.92 on Thursday. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.27 and a 12-month high of $32.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.31, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.01.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.38. The business 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 2.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

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

Bath & Body Works News Roundup

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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upped their price target on Bath & Body Works from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Bath & Body Works in a research report on Friday, May 15th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Bath & Body Works from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $23.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Bath & Body Works from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.57.

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.