Kennondale Capital Management LLC Invests $2.02 Million in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

Kennondale Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 43,892 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,021,000. Build-A-Bear Workshop accounts for approximately 1.6% of Kennondale Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Kennondale Capital Management LLC owned 0.33% of Build-A-Bear Workshop as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 322.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 24,935 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $857,000 after acquiring an additional 19,038 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the fourth quarter valued at about $800,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $12,863,000 after acquiring an additional 94,986 shares during the period. De Lisle Partners LLP increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 150,619 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the third quarter valued at about $282,000. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In other news, insider J. Christopher Hurt sold 12,635 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.53, for a total value of $499,461.55. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 49,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,952,228.58. The trade was a 20.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 68,859 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.06, for a total value of $3,171,645.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 347,820 shares in the company, valued at $16,020,589.20. The trade was a 16.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 161,666 shares of company stock valued at $7,010,081 in the last three months. 7.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Trading Down 3.5 %

BBW stock opened at $35.22 on Tuesday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $23.63 and a 1-year high of $48.23. The firm has a market cap of $473.30 million, a P/E ratio of 9.37 and a beta of 1.50. The business’s 50 day moving average is $39.88 and its 200-day moving average is $38.40.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $150.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $147.53 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.35% and a net margin of 10.58%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This is an increase from Build-A-Bear Workshop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is presently 23.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BBW shares. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Northland Securities upped their price objective on 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.

Build-A-Bear Workshop 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.