Bed Bath & Beyond Struggles to Avoid Bankruptcy

Bed Bath & Beyond is seeking shareholder approval of a reverse stock split as it continues to make efforts to prevent bankruptcy, as per a Wednesday securities filing. The company’s board aims to obtain approval for the reverse stock split on May 9th, to have enough shares available to raise up to $300 million in equity from a newly-announced stock offering, as the company has been facing challenges from its sinking stock price. Shares of Bed Bath are currently trading around 30 cents, giving the company a market value of approximately $132 million. If the reverse split is approved, it would significantly decrease the number of outstanding common stock shares available, allowing it to subscribe to the terms of the offer. The reverse split could help increase Bed Bath’s per-share price, improving perceptions of its stock while attracting more investors, the company said.

However, even if the reverse split temporarily boosts the share price of Bed Bath, the stock offering will ultimately dilute it, as was the case after the company announced a previous stock offering in February 2023. Bed Bath has been informing investors of its risk of bankruptcy since January 2023 after a downward trend in sales over several quarters depleted the company’s liquidity and led it to cling to life.

Last Wednesday, the troubled retailer received a $120 million lifeline from Hilco Global, a liquidator that provided funds to help it get inventory back on its shelves in a final attempt to improve sales.

– This report was contributed to by CNBC’s Jesse Pound.