Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition
and
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.
The following information, including Exhibit 99.1, is being furnished pursuant to Item 2.02, “Results of Operations and Financial Condition” and Item 7.01, “Regulation FD Disclosure” and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.
On February 2, 2022, Bath & Body Works, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release reporting net sales for the fourth quarter and full year ended January 29, 2022. In addition, the press release contains updated guidance with respect to the Company’s fourth quarter 2021 earnings per share from continuing operations.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
New Share Repurchase Program
On February 2, 2022, the Company announced that its Board of Directors (the "Board") has authorized a new $1.5 billion share repurchase program, $1.0 billion of which the Company intends to execute through an accelerated share repurchase program this week. This program follows the completion of the Company’s previously announced $1.5 billion July 2021 share repurchase program.
Annual Dividend
On February 2, 2022, the Company also announced that the Board has authorized an increase in the Company’s annual dividend to $0.80 per share from $0.60 per share currently, beginning with the quarterly dividend to be paid in March 2022.
A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein (except with regard to the fourth quarter and full year 2021 net sales results and the fourth quarter 2021 earnings per share guidance contained therein, which is furnished).
Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
We caution that any forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) contained in this report or made by our company or our management involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, our future performance and financial results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such forward-looking statements. Words such as “estimate,” “project,” “plan,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “planned,” “potential” and any similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements. Risks associated with the following factors, among others, in some cases have affected and in the future could affect our financial performance and actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements included in this report or otherwise made by our company or our management:
•the spin-off of Victoria’s Secret may not be tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
•a loss of synergies from separating the businesses that could negatively impact the balance sheet, profit margins or earnings of the Company or that the Company does not realize all of the expected benefits of the spin-off;
•general economic conditions, inflation, consumer confidence, consumer spending patterns and market disruptions including pandemics or significant health hazards, severe weather conditions, natural disasters, terrorist activities, financial crises, political crises or other major events, or the prospect of these events;
•the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic has had and is expected to continue to have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations;
•the seasonality of our business;
•divestitures or other dispositions and related operations and contingent liabilities from businesses that we have divested;
•difficulties arising from turnover in company leadership or other key positions;
•our ability to attract, develop and retain qualified associates and manage labor-related costs;
•the dependence on mall traffic and the availability of suitable store locations on appropriate terms;
•our ability to grow through new store openings and existing store remodels and expansions;
•our ability to successfully operate and expand internationally and related risks;
•our independent franchise, license and wholesale partners;
•our direct channel businesses;
•our ability to protect our reputation and our brand images;
•our ability to attract customers with marketing, advertising and promotional programs;
•our ability to maintain, enforce and protect our trade names, trademarks and patents;
•the highly competitive nature of the retail industry and the segments in which we operate;
•consumer acceptance of our products and our ability to manage the life cycle of our brands, keep up with fashion trends, develop new merchandise and launch new product lines successfully;
•our ability to source, distribute and sell goods and materials on a global basis, including risks related to:
◦political instability, environmental hazards or natural disasters;
◦significant health hazards or pandemics, which could result in closed factories, reduced workforces, scarcity of raw materials, and scrutiny or embargoing of goods produced in impacted areas;
◦duties, taxes and other charges;
◦legal and regulatory matters;
◦volatility in currency exchange rates;
◦local business practices and political issues;
◦delays or disruptions in shipping and transportation and related pricing impacts;
◦disruption due to labor disputes; and
◦changing expectations regarding product safety due to new legislation;
•our geographic concentration of vendor and distribution facilities in central Ohio;
•fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;
•the ability of our vendors to deliver products in a timely manner, meet quality standards and comply with applicable laws and regulations;
•fluctuations in product input costs, including those caused by inflation;
•our ability to adequately protect our assets from loss and theft;
•fluctuations in energy costs, including those caused by inflation;
•increases in the costs of mailing, paper, printing or other order fulfillment logistics;
•claims arising from our self-insurance;
•our and our third-party service providers' ability to implement and maintain information technology systems and to protect associated data;
•our ability to maintain the security of customer, associate, third-party and company information;
•stock price volatility;
•the anticipated increase in, and our ability to pay, dividends and related effects;
•the anticipated timing of our share repurchases under existing share repurchase authorizations and the anticipated impact thereof on our financial performance and liquidity;
•shareholder activism matters;
•our ability to maintain our credit ratings;
•our ability to service or refinance our debt and maintain compliance with our restrictive covenants;
•our ability to comply with laws, regulations and technology platform rules or other obligations related to data privacy and security;
•our ability to comply with regulatory requirements;
•legal and compliance matters; and
•tax, trade and other regulatory matters.
We are not under any obligation and do not intend to make publicly available any update or other revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this report to reflect circumstances existing after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence of future events even if experience or future events make it clear that any expected results expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements will not be realized. Additional information regarding these and other factors can be found in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated by the risk factors disclosed in Part II, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 30, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and our subsequent filings.