JPMorgan Chase & Co. Grows Position in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 322.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,935 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 19,038 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.19% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $857,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $12,863,000 after purchasing an additional 94,986 shares during the period. De Lisle Partners LLP increased its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 732,911 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,187,000 after acquiring an additional 150,619 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 3rd quarter worth $282,000. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the third quarter worth about $719,000. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the second quarter valued at approximately $740,000. 79.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE BBW opened at $42.70 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a twelve month low of $21.42 and a twelve month high of $48.23. The firm has a market cap of $573.83 million, a PE ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.09.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.03. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 38.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.53 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is currently 21.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BBW. Northland Securities raised their target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th.

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, Director Lesli Rotenberg sold 2,473 shares of the business’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 value of $101,640.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $481,856.40. The trade was a 17.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.55, for a total transaction of $623,250.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,695 shares in the company, valued at $3,145,127.25. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 175,713 shares of company stock valued at $7,580,622. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

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.