O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 31,898 Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 51.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 30,051 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 31,898 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC owned about 0.22% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $1,384,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of BBW. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 296.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 46,880 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,611,000 after buying an additional 35,049 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 3rd quarter worth $253,000. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 3rd quarter worth $719,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 346.6% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,295 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $12,863,000 after purchasing an additional 94,986 shares during the last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Friday, March 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 53,962 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.02, for a total transaction of $2,267,483.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 293,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,347,913.16. The trade was a 15.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.55, for a total transaction of $623,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,695 shares in the company, valued at $3,145,127.25. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 161,666 shares of company stock worth $7,010,081. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

Shares of BBW stock opened at $36.43 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.63 and a fifty-two week high of $48.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $489.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 1.04. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.93.

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

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. This is a boost from Build-A-Bear Workshop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is currently 23.10%.

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.