Build-A-Bear Workshop’s (BBW) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at DA Davidson

DA Davidson restated their buy rating on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $50.00 price target on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com upgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Northland Securities boosted their price target on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Up 3.0 %

BBW stock opened at $36.42 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a 52-week low of $23.63 and a 52-week high of $48.23. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $40.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.19. The company has a market capitalization of $489.48 million, a PE ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 1.50.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.07. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.35% and a net margin of 10.58%. The company had revenue of $150.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $147.53 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. This is an increase from Build-A-Bear Workshop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is 21.28%.

Insider Activity

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, insider J. Christopher Hurt sold 12,635 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.53, for a total value of $499,461.55. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 49,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,952,228.58. This trade represents a 20.37 % 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, CEO Sharon Price John sold 68,859 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.06, for a total value of $3,171,645.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 347,820 shares in the company, valued at $16,020,589.20. This represents a 16.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 161,666 shares of company stock worth $7,010,081. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Build-A-Bear Workshop

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BBW. De Lisle Partners LLP lifted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 732,911 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,187,000 after purchasing an additional 150,619 shares during the last quarter. Alta Fox Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,631,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 396.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 129,801 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,976,000 after purchasing an additional 103,656 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 269.9% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 137,922 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,350,000 after purchasing an additional 100,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.3% in 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 last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.