Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) Director Sells $101,640.30 in Stock

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) Director Lesli Rotenberg sold 2,473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.10, for a total transaction of $101,640.30. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $481,856.40. This represents a 17.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock traded up $0.79 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $41.34. The company had a trading volume of 292,336 shares, compared to its average volume of 236,213. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $37.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.17. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $21.24 and a fifty-two week high of $47.01. The firm has a market cap of $558.83 million, a PE ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 1.54.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.03. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 38.40%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.53 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, September 11th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to purchase up to 23.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is currently 21.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Build-A-Bear Workshop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. De Lisle Partners LLP boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the second quarter valued at approximately $740,000. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the second quarter valued at approximately $504,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 209.8% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 8,098 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,484 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BBW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson upped their price target 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. Northland Securities lifted their price target on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd.

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.