Alliancebernstein L.P. Cuts Stock Holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

Alliancebernstein L.P. lowered its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 15.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 761,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 143,013 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.06% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $35,070,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 296.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 46,880 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,611,000 after buying an additional 35,049 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 3rd quarter valued at $253,000. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 3rd quarter worth $719,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 346.6% during 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 last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 372,168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $12,863,000 after purchasing an additional 94,986 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on BBW. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research note on Friday, March 14th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BBW opened at $36.43 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $38.91 and its 200 day moving average is $38.93. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.63 and a 1 year high of $48.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $489.62 million, a P/E ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 1.04.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $150.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $147.53 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 38.35%. On average, analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. 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%.

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In other news, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.55, for a total value of $623,250.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 75,695 shares in the company, valued at $3,145,127.25. This represents a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 68,859 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.06, for a total transaction of $3,171,645.54. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 347,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,020,589.20. This trade represents a 16.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 161,666 shares of company stock worth $7,010,081. Company insiders own 7.90% 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.