Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also commented on BBW. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $85.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Northland Securities raised their price target on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.00.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

BBW stock opened at $49.61 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a one year low of $32.55 and a one year high of $75.85. The firm has a market cap of $651.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.15.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The specialty retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.07. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.93% and a return on equity of 38.62%. The firm had revenue of $122.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $124.28 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Build-A-Bear Workshop 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 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is currently 19.73%.

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 12,643 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.08, for a total value of $923,950.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 248,662 shares in the company, valued at $18,172,218.96. This represents a 4.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Craig Leavitt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.61, for a total transaction of $242,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 64,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,887,646.62. This trade represents a 5.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 61,387 shares of company stock worth $4,417,721 in the last 90 days. 5.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BBW. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 106.1% during the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 814 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 68.1% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 501 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 453.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the third quarter worth $45,000. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.