Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Bath & Body Works from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $39.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Bath & Body Works in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Barclays increased their target price on Bath & Body Works from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Bath & Body Works from $33.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Bath & Body Works from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bath & Body Works presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $23.53.

Bath & Body Works Trading Up 2.9%

Bath & Body Works stock opened at $22.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $20.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.26. Bath & Body Works has a 52 week low of $14.27 and a 52 week high of $41.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.86, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.51.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.05). Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 9.50% and a negative return on equity of 47.35%. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Bath & Body Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.870- EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.700- EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Bath & Body Works will post 3.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bath & Body Works news, Director Steven E. Voskuil bought 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $15.04 per share, with a total value of $300,800.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 33,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $510,232. This trade represents a 143.63% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lucy Brady purchased 3,470 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $14.40 per share, with a total value of $49,968.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 17,482 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $251,740.80. The trade was a 24.76% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought 33,513 shares of company stock worth $500,442 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bath & Body Works

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 24.6% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Bath & Body Works by 63.3% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its holdings in Bath & Body Works by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 47,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,225,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 16,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 11,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 661 shares during the period. 95.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Bath & Body Works News

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

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple firms have filed or announced notices of a securities class action against BBWI, alleging misstatements/omissions tied to the June 4, 2024–Nov 19, 2025 class period; the volume of filings magnifies reputational and legal risk for the company. Bath & Body Works, Inc. Sued for Securities Law Violations – DJS Law Group
• Negative Sentiment: Several national plaintiff firms are actively seeking lead plaintiffs and reminding investors of upcoming deadlines (mid-March 2026), which typically accelerates publicity and can keep the stock under downward pressure. BBWI Investors Have Opportunity to Lead – Schall Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: Additional firms (Faruqi & Faruqi, Rosen, Pomerantz, Glancy Prongay & Murray, Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, etc.) have issued investor alerts or filed suits — reinforcing the narrative of widespread investor claims and the potential for consolidated litigation or multi‑plaintiff actions. Faruqi & Faruqi Investigates Claims
• Negative Sentiment: At least one notice links the suits to a prior sharp stock decline (reports cite a ~24% drop), suggesting plaintiffs will argue material misstatements caused investor losses — this allegation, if prolonged, can pressure valuation and complicate management’s focus on operations. BBWI Court Notice – BFA Law

Bath & Body Works Company Profile

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.