Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) Given "Buy (B-)" Rating at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Build-A-Bear Workshop's stock has been given a "Buy (B-)" rating by Weiss Ratings, reaffirming confidence in its performance.
• Analysts have varying price targets for the stock, with Northland Securities raising it to $80.00 and DA Davidson to $85.00, suggesting a generally positive outlook.
• Insider activity includes CEO Sharon Price John selling 30,000 shares at $73.25 each, indicating possible changes in confidence among company leadership.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b-)" rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on BBW. Northland Securities upped their price target on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 23rd. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $64.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.00.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Trading Down 1.8%

BBW stock traded down $0.99 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $55.52. The company had a trading volume of 246,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 305,508. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a 52 week low of $32.55 and a 52 week high of $75.85. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $63.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.89. The stock has a market cap of $728.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 0.69.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 27th. The specialty retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 41.14% and a net margin of 11.34%.The firm had revenue of $150.45 million during the quarter. Analysts predict that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.25, for a total transaction of $2,197,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 261,305 shares in the company, valued at $19,140,591.25. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Craig Leavitt sold 4,000 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.61, for a total value of $242,440.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 64,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,887,646.62. This trade represents a 5.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 61,387 shares of company stock worth $4,417,721 in the last 90 days. 5.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Build-A-Bear Workshop

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,595,000. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 3rd quarter valued at $937,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 3rd quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 5,113.6% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 752,320 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $38,789,000 after purchasing an additional 737,890 shares in the last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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