Company Overview - Bath & Body Works, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer in the North American personal care and home fragrance market, utilizing a multi-channel distribution strategy that includes retail stores, e-commerce, and international partnerships to enhance sales and brand recognition [5][8] - The company offers a variety of products, including home fragrance, body care, soaps, and sanitizers under the Bath & Body Works and White Barn brands [8] Financial Performance - For the trailing twelve months (TTM), Bath & Body Works reported revenue of $7.36 billion and a net income of $699 million, with a dividend yield of 3.6% [3] - The stock price as of November 12, 2025, was $22.40, reflecting a significant decline from a 52-week intraday high of $41.87 [3][9] - The company experienced a 1% year-over-year decline in net sales during the quarter, which contributed to a considerable drop in net income, attributed to lower discretionary spending and increased promotional activities [11] Recent Developments - Blueshift Asset Management, LLC disclosed a reduction in its holding of Bath & Body Works shares by 105,980 shares, valued at approximately $3.14 million, resulting in a remaining holding of 42,412 shares worth $1.09 million [2][11] - Following the sale, Bath & Body Works represented only 0.34% of Blueshift's total assets under management (AUM), indicating a diminished significance within the fund's portfolio [1][11] - The stock's performance has been notably poor, with a one-year total return of -27.15%, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 by 41.22 percentage points [7]

PresentationKatherine DelahuntMorgan Stanley, Research Division Okay. Good morning, everyone. We can get this started. So for those of you who don't know me, I'm Katy Delahunt, an associate on Alex Straton, Softline Retail and Brands team here at Morgan Stanley. And thank you all for joining us to kick off the second day of Morgan Stanley's Global Consumer and Retail Conference. So I'm really pleased to welcome Bath & Body Works. And here on the stage with us, they're the leader in home fragrance, body car ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has a strong platform with over 1,900 stores in North America and a highly profitable business model that generates significant cash flow [4] - The expectation is to deliver mid-single-digit growth while expanding margins, indicating a potential re-rating of the stock [5] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The core business categories such as body care, home fragrance, soaps, and sanitizers are growing, and the company plans to innovate and sharpen stories in these categories [19] - The company is focusing on a smaller number of categories to drive productivity and better full-price selling, moving away from overwhelming assortments [21][22] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has identified a challenge in acquiring new consumers, despite being effective at driving spend and repeat purchases from existing customers [10] - The company is expanding its distribution channels, recently launching products in 600 college bookstores to reach a younger demographic [17] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The guiding philosophy for growth is to put the consumer at the center of every decision, focusing on creating innovative products and telling bold brand stories [7][8] - The company is working on improving its digital presence and consumer experience, with plans to relaunch its app and mobile web [11][12] - The strategy includes reducing promotions to build trust with consumers and clarify the brand's identity [29][30] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management believes the consumer environment will remain stable, with expectations for spending habits to be about the same in the second half of 2025 [35] - The company is well-positioned regarding tariffs, with 80% of its supply chain sourced from the U.S. and plans to mitigate tariff impacts through supply chain optimization [25][26] Other Important Information - The loyalty program has been successful, with 39 million members, and the company continues to engage these members through exclusive offers [34] - The company is optimistic about its off-mall strategy, which has outperformed mall locations, and aims to increase off-mall locations to potentially 75% [33] Q&A Session All Questions and Answers Question: What is the expectation for the environment in the second half of 2025? - Management expects the consumer environment to remain stable, with spending habits anticipated to be about the same [35] Question: How do you think about pricing and promotions? - The company acknowledges price elasticity and plans to thoughtfully reduce promotions while ensuring clarity in their promotional strategies [36][29] Question: Can you talk about your expectations for inventory growth into the second half? - Inventory is expected to be up in the second half, but not to the same magnitude as the first half, with no anticipated disruptions in shipments [37] Question: How are you thinking about non-tariff margin drivers? - Management does not anticipate meaningful changes in freight, wages, or materials costs and will continue to manage external pressures [37] Question: What are your thoughts on market share consolidation? - The company is focused on taking market share and leveraging its profitable fleet to drive growth across core categories [38] Question: Can you walk us through changes made during the semi-annual sale? - The semi-annual sale performed well, with changes including timing adjustments and leveraging social influencers to create buzz [40]

Core Insights - e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. reported strong fiscal first-quarter results for 2026, with both net sales and earnings surpassing expectations, although earnings decreased compared to the previous year [1][3][9] Financial Performance - Adjusted earnings per share were 89 cents, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 84 cents, but down from $1.10 in the same quarter last year [3][9] - Net sales increased by 9% year-over-year to $353.7 million, slightly above the consensus estimate of $353 million, driven by strong performance in retail and e-commerce channels [3][9] Market Position - The company gained 210 basis points in market share, marking 26 consecutive quarters of category-leading growth, attributed to a strong value proposition, innovation, and effective marketing [2][9] Cost and Margin Analysis - Gross margin contracted by 215 basis points to 69%, influenced by tariffs, though partially offset by favorable foreign exchange impacts [4] - Adjusted selling, general, and administrative expenses rose by $12.9 million to $177.3 million, primarily due to increased professional fees and marketing costs, despite reductions in compensation and operational costs [5] EBITDA and Cash Flow - Adjusted EBITDA was $87.1 million, reflecting a 12% increase from the previous year, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 25% [6] - The company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $170 million and net cash from operating activities of $27.2 million [7] Future Outlook - The company has not provided a full-year financial outlook for fiscal 2026 due to tariff uncertainties but expects net sales growth in the first half to exceed the 9% increase reported in Q1 [8][9] - Adjusted EBITDA margins for the first half of fiscal 2026 are anticipated to be around 20%, down from approximately 23% in the same period of fiscal 2025, primarily due to higher tariff costs [8]