American Century Companies Inc. Increases Stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW

Key Points

• American Century Companies raised its stake in Build‑A‑Bear by 6.7%, buying 33,445 shares to own 535,791 shares (a 4.08% stake) valued at about $34.94 million at quarter end.
• Institutional interest is high (institutions own 79.30% of the stock) with other notable buys from Thrivent, Maverick and new positions by CSM Advisors and Connor Clark & Lunn.
• Analysts have an average rating of Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $64.75, while the stock trades around $42.34 (down 6.4%), market cap ~$548M and a PE of 9.73.

American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 535,791 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 33,445 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 4.08% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $34,939,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BBW. Maverick Capital Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 118.9% during the second quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 53,299 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,748,000 after purchasing an additional 28,950 shares during the period. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,233,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 384.9% during the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 45,100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,325,000 after purchasing an additional 35,800 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 917,479 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $59,828,000 after purchasing an additional 165,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $529,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BBW shares. Zacks Research upgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $85.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, CJS Securities assumed coverage on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued a "market outperform" rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Build-A-Bear Workshop has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.75.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Down 6.4%

BBW opened at $42.34 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.55 and a 52 week high of $75.85. The stock has a market cap of $548.30 million, a PE ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day moving average of $57.79 and a 200-day moving average of $58.08.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The specialty retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $122.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $124.28 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.43% and a net margin of 10.93%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.73 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Profile

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc operates a specialty retail business focused on interactive “workshop” experiences that allow customers to create customized stuffed animals. Through its in-store and online platforms, the company offers a wide range of plush toys, apparel, accessories and sound modules, enabling guests to personalize each creation. In addition to its core bear products, Build-A-Bear has expanded its portfolio to include licensed characters from leading entertainment and media franchises.

Founded in 1997 by Maxine Clark and headquartered in St.

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