Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday.

Separately, Northland Securities boosted their price target on shares of 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 Price Performance

BBW opened at $36.80 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $497.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.34 and a beta of 1.54. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.87. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a 1-year low of $21.24 and a 1-year high of $40.13.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $111.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $107.90 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 37.81% and a net margin of 10.36%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, Director George Carrara sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.27, for a total transaction of $90,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $668,129.67. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director George Carrara sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.27, for a total value of $90,675.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,421 shares in the company, valued at approximately $668,129.67. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 12,635 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 90,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,212,416.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 130,734 shares of company stock worth $4,510,217 over the last quarter. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Build-A-Bear Workshop

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC grew its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 23.4% in 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 acquiring an additional 232,840 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 0.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,047,261 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,282,000 after purchasing an additional 6,913 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 0.3% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 640,027 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $16,174,000 after purchasing an additional 2,081 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 320,832 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,107,000 after buying an additional 47,096 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 256,979 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,494,000 after buying an additional 17,772 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.