Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 1.4% in Q1, holding a total of 995,693 shares worth approximately $37 million.
• Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop are currently trading at $57.38, with a 12-month high of $59.78 and a market cap of $757.99 million.
• The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 995,693 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 13,713 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 7.58% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $37,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BBW. De Lisle Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 765,911 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,519,000 after buying an additional 18,000 shares during the period. Alta Fox Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,631,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 121,863 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $5,611,000 after buying an additional 1,654 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 138.1% in the 1st quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 115,885 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,307,000 after buying an additional 67,205 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,154,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.30% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 6,993 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.50, for a total transaction of $339,160.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 123,318 shares in the company, valued at $5,980,923. This trade represents a 5.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 31,250 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.73, for a total transaction of $1,429,062.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 291,305 shares in the company, valued at $13,321,377.65. This represents a 9.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 48,248 shares of company stock valued at $2,276,383 over the last quarter. 5.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of BBW traded down $6.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $60.54. The stock had a trading volume of 793,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,997. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.32 and a 1-year high of $70.01. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $53.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.75. The company has a market cap of $799.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.57 and a beta of 0.70.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 28th. The specialty retailer reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.27. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 11.34% and a return on equity of 42.37%. The firm had revenue of $124.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.19 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.64 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 26th. Build-A-Bear Workshop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on BBW shares. Northland Securities raised their price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $64.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.00.

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.