O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 51.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 30,051 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 31,898 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop were worth $1,384,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 346.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,295 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $200,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 68,859 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.06, for a total value of $3,171,645.54. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 347,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,020,589.20. This represents a 16.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider J. Christopher Hurt sold 6,210 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.91, for a total transaction of $247,841.10. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 43,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,723,154.16. This trade represents a 12.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 161,666 shares of company stock worth $7,010,081 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

BBW opened at $36.43 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $38.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $489.62 million, a PE ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 1.04. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a one year low of $23.63 and a one year high of $48.23.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.07. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 38.35%. The firm had revenue of $150.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $147.53 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 27th. This is a boost from Build-A-Bear Workshop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Friday, March 14th.

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.