StockNews.com Downgrades Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning.

Separately, Northland Securities boosted their price objective on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 30th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of BBW stock traded down $0.81 on Thursday, reaching $36.80. The company had a trading volume of 262,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 228,833. The company has a 50-day moving average of $34.59 and a 200-day moving average of $29.81. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a 12 month low of $21.24 and a 12 month high of $40.13. The stock has a market cap of $497.46 million, a PE ratio of 10.34 and a beta of 1.54.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $111.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $107.90 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 37.81%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio is 22.47%.

Build-A-Bear Workshop announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, September 11th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to buy up to 23.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 17,274 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total value of $605,453.70. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 137,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,804,583.90. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, Director George Carrara sold 2,500 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.27, for a total value of $90,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $668,129.67. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 17,274 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total value of $605,453.70. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 137,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,804,583.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 130,734 shares of company stock worth $4,510,217 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 705.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 967 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 211.8% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 4,889 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,812 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 25.2% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,782 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 209.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 8,098 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,484 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Company Profile

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc operates as a multi-channel retailer of plush animals and related products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Direct-to-Consumer, Commercial, and International Franchising. Its merchandise comprises various styles of plush products to be stuffed, pre-stuffed plush products, and sounds and scents that can be added to the stuffed animals, as well as range of clothing, shoes and accessories, and other toy and novelty items, including family sleepwear.