Acadian Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 61.9%, owning approximately 119,046 shares valued at $4.42 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Several analysts revised their ratings for Build-A-Bear Workshop, with a notable upgrade from DA Davidson raising the price target from $64.00 to $85.00 and a consensus rating of Buy.
• Build-A-Bear Workshop recently announced a $0.22 quarterly dividend payable on October 9th, representing an annual dividend of $0.88 and a yield of 1.2%.

Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW - Free Report) by 61.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 119,046 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 45,498 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned 0.90% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $4,423,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 106.1% during the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 814 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 3,357.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,460 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 4,331 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the fourth quarter worth $207,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the first quarter worth $199,000. Institutional investors own 79.30% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Northland Securities boosted their price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $64.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Build-A-Bear Workshop presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.00.

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In other news, Director Lesli Rotenberg sold 1,755 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.52, for a total value of $93,927.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $632,874. This represents a 12.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 261,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,140,591.25. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 41,755 shares of company stock valued at $3,023,928. Company insiders own 5.80% of the company's stock.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock traded down $1.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $73.15. The stock had a trading volume of 663,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 453,479. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $58.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.78. The stock has a market cap of $960.46 million, a PE ratio of 16.40 and a beta of 0.72. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 12 month low of $30.72 and a 12 month high of $75.85.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 28th. The specialty retailer reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $124.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $116.19 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 11.34% and a return on equity of 41.14%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 25th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 25th. Build-A-Bear Workshop's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.73%.

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.