Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires New Shares in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 12,714 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $380,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $2,161,000 after purchasing an additional 10,379 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 81.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 360,329 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,284,000 after buying an additional 161,700 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 95,220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,189,000 after acquiring an additional 23,598 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 445,695 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,247,000 after acquiring an additional 80,463 shares during the period. Finally, Pacifica Capital Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 364.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC now owns 646,414 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $14,861,000 after acquiring an additional 507,252 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, Director George Carrara sold 2,600 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total value of $68,484.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,238.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of BBW stock opened at $24.46 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 12-month low of $21.24 and a 12-month high of $32.47. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.87. The company has a market cap of $337.79 million, a PE ratio of 7.01 and a beta of 1.63.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.02 by ($0.20). Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.87% and a net margin of 10.33%. The business had revenue of $114.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $118.70 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 27th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BBW. StockNews.com downgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Friday, March 15th.

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.