Cannell Capital LLC Sells 151,822 Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

Cannell Capital LLC lessened its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 32.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 316,977 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 151,822 shares during the quarter. Build-A-Bear Workshop accounts for approximately 3.0% of Cannell Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Cannell Capital LLC’s holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop were worth $14,594,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BBW. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 346.6% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,295 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 34.1% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,793 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 53,962 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.02, for a total transaction of $2,267,483.24. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 293,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,347,913.16. This trade represents a 15.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 15,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,145,127.25. This represents a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 92,807 shares of company stock valued at $3,838,436. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BBW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

Build-A-Bear Workshop stock opened at $36.47 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $490.17 million, a P/E ratio of 9.70 and a beta of 1.04. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.63 and a 52 week high of $48.23.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.07. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.35% and a net margin of 10.58%. The company had revenue of $150.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $147.53 million. Research analysts forecast that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

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.