MML Investors Services LLC Makes New Investment in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 9,834 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $338,000. MML Investors Services LLC owned 0.07% of Build-A-Bear Workshop as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 7.4% during the second 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 lifted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 25.9% during the 3rd 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 during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the third quarter worth approximately $719,000. Maverick Capital Ltd. purchased a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the second quarter valued at approximately $740,000. Finally, Koss Olinger Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the second quarter worth approximately $504,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BBW has been the subject of several research reports. Northland Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. DA Davidson upped their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BBW opened at $45.92 on Wednesday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $21.24 and a 1-year high of $47.01. The company has a market capitalization of $617.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $39.13 and a 200-day moving average of $32.28.

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 return on equity of 38.40% and a net margin of 10.58%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.53 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 EPS 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is 21.28%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 17,274 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total transaction of $605,453.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 137,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,804,583.90. This represents a 11.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 12,635 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.42, for a total transaction of $447,531.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 90,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,212,416.90. This trade represents a 12.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 94,781 shares of company stock valued at $3,414,758 in the last quarter. Company 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.