Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 143,013 Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 15.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 761,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 143,013 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 5.67% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $35,070,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Quarry LP grew its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 346.6% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,295 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake 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 worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.08, for a total value of $200,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 70,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,833,455.60. The trade was a 6.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider J. Christopher Hurt sold 6,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.91, for a total value of $247,841.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,176 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,723,154.16. This trade represents a 12.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 161,666 shares of company stock valued at $7,010,081 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BBW. StockNews.com downgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research 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 report on Friday, March 14th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BBW opened at $36.43 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $489.62 million, a P/E ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.93. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.63 and a 1 year high of $48.23.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $150.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $147.53 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.35% and a net margin of 10.58%. As a group, equities research 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. 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. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.10%.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop

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.