Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on BBW. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Northland Securities boosted 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.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE BBW opened at $41.34 on Wednesday. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a fifty-two week low of $21.24 and a fifty-two week high of $47.01. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $37.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.25. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 earnings per share 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.53 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insider Activity at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 48,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.19, for a total value of $1,700,556.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 416,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,662,934.01. This represents a 10.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lesli Rotenberg sold 2,473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.10, for a total transaction of $101,640.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,724 shares in the company, valued at $481,856.40. The trade was a 17.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 92,281 shares of company stock valued at $3,311,358 in the last quarter. Insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Build-A-Bear Workshop

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BBW. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised 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 in the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP raised its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 25.9% during the third quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 732,911 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,187,000 after purchasing 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 worth approximately $740,000. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC bought a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 2nd quarter valued at $504,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of 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 during the period. 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.