Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) Trading Up 5.8% – Still a Buy?

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) shares shot up 5.8% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $39.27 and last traded at $39.32. 53,502 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 280,747 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on BBW shares. Northland Securities boosted 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 research note on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Friday, March 14th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $530.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.49 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $39.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.79.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last released its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $147.53 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.35% and a net margin of 10.58%. As a group, research analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. 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 yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, insider J. Christopher Hurt sold 12,635 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.53, for a total value of $499,461.55. Following the sale, the insider now owns 49,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,952,228.58. This trade represents a 20.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 68,859 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 347,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,020,589.20. This represents a 16.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 161,666 shares of company stock valued at $7,010,081 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Build-A-Bear Workshop

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBW. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 62.7% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 18,802 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $866,000 after purchasing an additional 7,245 shares in the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 4th quarter worth about $585,000. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 4th quarter worth about $1,750,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 55.6% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 55,611 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,560,000 after acquiring an additional 19,874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 52.9% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 11,888 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $547,000 after acquiring an additional 4,111 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

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.