BBWI beats on tariff refunds, raises outlook, but store traffic still weak
Ulta Beauty partnership expands distribution Bath & Body Works will sell candles, soaps and body care in over 600 Ulta Beauty stores and online from July 2026. This puts products in front of new shoppers, which can lift sales over time and is a real reason the stock rose.
It is the period's main new growth driver and explains the June share jump.
Goldman Sachs downgrade warns of cannibalization Goldman cut BBWI to Sell, saying weaker consumer sentiment and softer appeal to younger shoppers could hurt, and that selling through Ulta might steal sales from its own stores. The stock fell about 4% on that warning, a real counterweight to the Ulta optimism.
It is the main bearish force in the period and offsets the partnership story.
Q2 profit beat, but mostly from tariff refunds Second-quarter earnings of $0.62 a share crushed the $0.24 estimate, yet about $80 million came from one-time tariff refunds; without that, profit was $0.31. Sales fell 2.3% to $1.51 billion. The beat looks better than the underlying business.
It is the period's biggest earnings event and shows the quality of the beat.
Full-year outlook raised, but third-quarter guidance misses BBWI lifted full-year earnings guidance to $2.60-$2.80 a share, yet third-quarter profit guidance of 7-12 cents badly missed the 26-cent consensus, and sales are expected to fall 2.5%-5%. Online sales grew 3% and international rose nearly 25%, but declining store traffic remains the drag.
It captures the mixed forward picture that pushed shares lower despite the raised year outlook.