AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 31,457 Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

AQR Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 20.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,245 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 31,457 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.89% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $3,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 81.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 360,329 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,284,000 after buying an additional 161,700 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 16.8% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 72,333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,161,000 after acquiring an additional 10,379 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the first quarter worth approximately $380,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 9.7% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,970 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $656,000 after buying an additional 1,950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacifica Capital Investments LLC raised its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 54.1% during the first quarter. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC now owns 996,166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,755,000 after purchasing an additional 349,752 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BBW opened at $35.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $486.21 million, a P/E ratio of 10.09 and a beta of 1.55. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $21.24 and a 1 year high of $35.83. The company’s 50-day moving average is $29.93 and its 200 day moving average is $28.45.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $111.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $107.90 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 37.81%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 26th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.92%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BBW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Northland Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 2nd.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 50,000 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.32, for a total value of $1,666,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 465,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,493,933.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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.