Formula Growth Ltd. Reduces Stock Position in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

Formula Growth Ltd. cut its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 58.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 92,197 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 129,963 shares during the period. Build-A-Bear Workshop comprises 1.4% of Formula Growth Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Formula Growth Ltd. owned approximately 0.69% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $4,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BBW. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 45,714 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,105,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $1,089,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,793 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $175,000 after buying an additional 783 shares during the period. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research note on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st.

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, insider J. Christopher Hurt sold 6,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.91, for a total value of $247,841.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,176 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,723,154.16. This represents a 12.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 5,000 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.08, for a total value of $200,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 70,695 shares in the company, valued at $2,833,455.60. This represents a 6.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock opened at $37.05 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.63 and a 52 week high of $48.23. The company has a market capitalization of $497.94 million, a PE ratio of 9.85 and a beta of 1.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $37.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.19.

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

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 27th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 27th. This is an increase from Build-A-Bear Workshop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.10%.

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.