Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

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

Separately, DA Davidson restated a buy rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Friday, March 15th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Build-A-Bear Workshop stock opened at $25.23 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a 1 year low of $19.37 and a 1 year high of $32.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $28.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.73. The stock has a market cap of $348.43 million, a P/E ratio of 7.23 and a beta of 1.63.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The specialty retailer reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $149.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $150.02 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.33% and a return on equity of 39.86%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.56 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 27th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.92%.

Insider Activity at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, Director George Carrara sold 2,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total transaction of $68,484.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $460,238.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Build-A-Bear Workshop

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BBW. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 25.2% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,782 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 1,365 shares during the last quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. now owns 11,918 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 1,953 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $321,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 15,138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the first quarter worth $380,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

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.