SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 19,229 Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 199.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,858 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,229 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.22% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $1,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 22.0% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 917,479 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $59,828,000 after buying an additional 165,159 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 535,791 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $34,939,000 after acquiring an additional 33,445 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 3.1% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 307,662 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $20,063,000 after acquiring an additional 9,221 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 17.7% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 271,520 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $17,706,000 after acquiring an additional 40,743 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 69.9% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 237,927 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $15,515,000 after acquiring an additional 97,917 shares during the period. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BBW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. CJS Securities initiated coverage on Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. They set a “market outperform” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.75.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

BBW opened at $38.05 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $492.76 million, a P/E ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 1.22. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a one year low of $32.55 and a one year high of $75.85. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $47.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.57.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by ($0.01). Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 34.44% and a net margin of 9.85%.The business had revenue of $154.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $155.71 million. On average, analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 26th. This is a positive change from Build-A-Bear Workshop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Profile

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc operates a specialty retail business focused on interactive “workshop” experiences that allow customers to create customized stuffed animals. Through its in-store and online platforms, the company offers a wide range of plush toys, apparel, accessories and sound modules, enabling guests to personalize each creation. In addition to its core bear products, Build-A-Bear has expanded its portfolio to include licensed characters from leading entertainment and media franchises.

Founded in 1997 by Maxine Clark and headquartered in St.