Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) Trading Down 3.4% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) fell 3.4% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $44.47 and last traded at $44.48. 52,701 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 240,479 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.04.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BBW shares. StockNews.com upgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Northland Securities upped their price objective on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Trading Down 4.2 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $40.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $592.84 million, a PE ratio of 11.73 and a beta of 1.53.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last released 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 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. Research analysts forecast that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is 21.28%.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 12,635 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,212,416.90. This represents a 12.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 17,274 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total value of $605,453.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 137,078 shares in the company, valued at $4,804,583.90. This trade represents a 11.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 94,781 shares of company stock worth $3,414,758 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Build-A-Bear Workshop

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC raised its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 23.4% during the 2nd quarter. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,229,006 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,057,000 after purchasing an additional 232,840 shares in the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP lifted its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 25.9% in the third quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 732,911 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,187,000 after acquiring an additional 150,619 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 640,027 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $16,174,000 after acquiring an additional 2,081 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $12,863,000 after purchasing an additional 94,986 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 320,832 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,107,000 after purchasing an additional 47,096 shares in the last quarter. 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.