DA Davidson Issues Positive Forecast for Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) Stock Price

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) had its price objective increased by DA Davidson from $40.00 to $50.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. DA Davidson currently has a buy rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on BBW. Northland Securities lifted their price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com raised shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock opened at $40.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $553.90 million, a PE ratio of 11.51 and a beta of 1.53. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a 1-year low of $21.24 and a 1-year high of $47.01. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.07.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.03. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 37.81%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.53 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is 22.47%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director George Carrara sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.27, for a total value of $90,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,421 shares in the company, valued at $668,129.67. This represents a 11.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 12,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.42, for a total transaction of $447,531.70. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 90,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,212,416.90. The trade was a 12.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 80,734 shares of company stock worth $2,844,217. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the third quarter worth about $282,000. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 2.4% in the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,695 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 311.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 18,246 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 13,810 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the third quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the third quarter valued at approximately $338,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.