Insider Selling: Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) Director Sells 2,500 Shares of Stock

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) Director Craig Leavitt sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.36, for a total transaction of $103,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 78,167 shares in the company, valued at $3,232,987.12. This represents a 3.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

NYSE BBW opened at $43.45 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $587.36 million, a PE ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 1.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $38.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.57. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.24 and a 52-week high of $47.01.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the firm posted $0.53 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.28%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BBW. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their price objective 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Build-A-Bear Workshop

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 705.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 967 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 346.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,295 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 211.8% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 4,889 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,812 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 209.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 8,098 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,484 shares in the last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.