Inspire Investing LLC Acquires New Position in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW

Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 14,371 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $937,000. Inspire Investing LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Build-A-Bear Workshop as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 19.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,270 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,065 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $915,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 32,275 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,664,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 6.0% in the second quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 7,284 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 106.1% during the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 814 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BBW opened at $62.23 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.55 and a 1-year high of $75.85. The business has a 50-day moving average of $52.76 and a 200-day moving average of $56.08. The company has a market capitalization of $805.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.30 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 26th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is presently 20.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BBW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Northland Securities raised their price objective 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, CJS Securities started coverage on Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. They set a “market outperform” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, Director Lesli Rotenberg sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.34, for a total value of $61,340.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,825 shares in the company, valued at $602,665.50. The trade was a 9.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Craig Leavitt sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.61, for a total value of $242,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 64,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,887,646.62. This trade represents a 5.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $363,760 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop

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.