StockNews.com Upgrades Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) to Buy

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

Separately, Northland Securities lifted their target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Trading Up 2.4 %

BBW stock traded up $0.91 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $39.04. 195,000 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 228,939. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $33.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $538.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.19 and a beta of 1.55. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a 52-week low of $21.24 and a 52-week high of $39.33.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.07. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 37.81% and a net margin of 10.36%. The business had revenue of $111.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $107.90 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, September 11th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 23.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.32, for a total value of $1,666,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 465,004 shares in the company, valued at $15,493,933.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 12,635 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.42, for a total value of $447,531.70. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 90,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,212,416.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 50,000 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 465,004 shares in the company, valued at $15,493,933.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 130,734 shares of company stock worth $4,510,217 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BBW. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC raised its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 23.4% in the second quarter. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,229,006 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,057,000 after purchasing an additional 232,840 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,047,261 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,282,000 after purchasing an additional 6,913 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 640,027 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $16,174,000 after buying an additional 2,081 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 47,096 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 7.4% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 256,979 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,494,000 after acquiring an additional 17,772 shares during the last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.