Craig Leavitt Sells 2,500 Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) Stock

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) Director Craig Leavitt sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.36, for a total transaction of $103,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 78,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,232,987.12. This represents a 3.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of BBW stock opened at $43.45 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $587.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 1.53. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 12-month low of $21.24 and a 12-month high of $47.01. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $38.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.57.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.03. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.40% and a net margin of 10.58%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.53 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, September 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 23.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio is 21.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BBW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Northland Securities increased their price objective on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th.

Institutional Trading of Build-A-Bear Workshop

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BBW. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the third quarter valued at $282,000. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 2.4% during the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,695 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 311.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 18,246 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $627,000 after buying an additional 13,810 shares during the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $230,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 3rd quarter valued at $338,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop

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.