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

Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW - Free Report) by 15.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund 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 and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 45,714 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 26.5% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 291,990 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $13,443,000 after buying an additional 61,111 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 41.8% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 35,363 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,628,000 after purchasing an additional 10,428 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the fourth quarter valued at about $267,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 431,708 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $19,876,000 after purchasing an additional 55,328 shares during the last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. 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 reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Friday, March 14th.

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, CFO Vojin Todorovic sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.08, for a total value of $200,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 70,695 shares in the company, valued at $2,833,455.60. The trade was a 6.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 53,962 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 293,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,347,913.16. The trade was a 15.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 92,807 shares of company stock valued at $3,838,436 in the last three months. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Down 7.7 %

Shares of BBW stock traded down $3.02 during trading on Thursday, hitting $36.33. The company had a trading volume of 48,920 shares, compared to its average volume of 258,001. The stock's 50-day moving average is $38.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $488.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.07. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 38.35%. The business had revenue of $150.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $147.53 million. On average, research analysts predict that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is an increase from Build-A-Bear Workshop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop's payout ratio is presently 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.