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

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

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Northland Securities upped their target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. DA Davidson upped their price objective 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.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Down 2.3 %

NYSE BBW opened at $41.51 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $37.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.40. The company has a market capitalization of $561.13 million, a P/E ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 1.54. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a 52 week low of $21.24 and a 52 week high of $47.01.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 38.40%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.53 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, September 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to purchase up to 23.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 17,274 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 137,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,804,583.90. This represents a 11.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 48,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 416,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,662,934.01. This represents a 10.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 92,281 shares of company stock worth $3,311,358 in the last 90 days. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Build-A-Bear Workshop

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 23.4% in the 2nd quarter. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,229,006 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,057,000 after acquiring an additional 232,840 shares during the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP raised its position 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 valued at $25,187,000 after purchasing an additional 150,619 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 640,027 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $16,174,000 after purchasing an additional 2,081 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $12,863,000 after purchasing an additional 94,986 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 320,832 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,107,000 after purchasing an additional 47,096 shares during the period. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.