Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Grows Stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 5,113.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 752,320 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 737,890 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 5.70% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $38,789,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BBW. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 106.1% during the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 814 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the second quarter valued at $52,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the second quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 19.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,270 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 12,643 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.08, for a total value of $923,950.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 248,662 shares in the company, valued at $18,172,218.96. The trade was a 4.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Lesli Rotenberg sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.34, for a total transaction of $61,340.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,665.50. The trade was a 9.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 21,387 shares of company stock valued at $1,487,721 over the last 90 days. 5.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Build-A-Bear Workshop stock opened at $52.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $681.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 1.01. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.55 and a 1 year high of $75.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $53.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.63.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The specialty retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.07. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.93% and a return on equity of 38.43%. The business had revenue of $122.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $124.28 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is 20.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BBW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $85.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Wall Street Zen cut Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Northland Securities upped their target price 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. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Build-A-Bear Workshop presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.75.

Build-A-Bear Workshop 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.