Nuveen LLC Buys New Stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by purchasing 41,379 shares, valued at approximately $1.54 million, representing about 0.31% of the company's stock.
• In the first quarter, various institutional investors such as Charles Schwab and Vanguard increased their stakes in Build-A-Bear Workshop, indicating strong interest in the company; overall, institutional ownership sits at 79.30%.
• Build-A-Bear Workshop recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.94, exceeding expectations, and announced a dividend of $0.22 per share, contributing to a 1.5% yield.

Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 41,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,538,000. Nuveen LLC owned 0.31% of Build-A-Bear Workshop as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the first quarter worth $250,000. Foundry Partners LLC increased its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 138.1% during the 1st quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 115,885 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,307,000 after purchasing an additional 67,205 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 62.7% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 18,802 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $866,000 after buying an additional 7,245 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the first quarter worth approximately $850,000. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 43.0% in the first quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,836 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $923,000 after acquiring an additional 7,467 shares in the last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on BBW shares. Northland Securities raised their price target on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 23rd. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $64.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.00.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of BBW stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $59.75. The stock had a trading volume of 200,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,376. The firm has a market cap of $789.23 million, a PE ratio of 13.39 and a beta of 0.72. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $53.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.06. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $29.32 and a fifty-two week high of $70.01.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 28th. The specialty retailer reported $0.94 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Build-A-Bear Workshop's payout ratio is presently 19.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 sale, the director 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 31,250 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.73, for a total value of $1,429,062.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 291,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,321,377.65. This represents a 9.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 41,255 shares of company stock worth $1,937,223 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 5.80% of the company's stock.

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.