Magnetar Financial LLC Buys Shares of 13,836 Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW

Key Points

• Magnetar Financial LLC invested approximately $514,000 in Build-A-Bear Workshop by acquiring 13,836 shares during the first quarter, representing 0.10% ownership of the company.
• Build-A-Bear Workshop reported $0.94 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.67, along with a revenue of $124.25 million, exceeding estimates of $116.19 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22, yielding an annualized payout of 1.5%, with a current dividend payout ratio of 19.73%.

Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 13,836 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $514,000. Magnetar Financial LLC owned about 0.10% of Build-A-Bear Workshop at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of BBW. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,835 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 1,909 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 494.7% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,689 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 1,405 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,242 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $518,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the fourth quarter valued at about $207,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 121,863 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $5,611,000 after acquiring an additional 1,654 shares in the last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, Director Craig Leavitt sold 8,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.21, for a total value of $414,232.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 72,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,634,802.32. This represents a 10.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the director directly owned 11,825 shares in the company, valued at $632,874. This trade represents a 12.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Northland Securities increased their target price on 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. Zacks Research raised Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. DA Davidson increased their target price on 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. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.00.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Up 5.9%

Shares of NYSE:BBW traded up $3.62 on Friday, hitting $64.54. 450,471 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 329,548. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.32 and a 52 week high of $70.01. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.49. The company has a market cap of $852.60 million, a PE ratio of 14.47 and a beta of 0.72.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 28th. The specialty retailer reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $124.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $116.19 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 42.37% and a net margin of 11.34%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Build-A-Bear Workshop's dividend payout ratio is 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.