AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 31,457 Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

AQR Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW - Free Report) by 20.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,245 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 31,457 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.89% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $3,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 81.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 360,329 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $8,284,000 after purchasing an additional 161,700 shares during the period. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 54.1% during the first quarter. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC now owns 996,166 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $29,755,000 after purchasing an additional 349,752 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 7.4% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 256,979 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $6,494,000 after purchasing an additional 17,772 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 7.4% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 63,512 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 4,384 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 4.3% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 63,055 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,885,000 after purchasing an additional 2,599 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BBW shares. StockNews.com raised Build-A-Bear Workshop from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 2nd. Northland Securities upped their price target on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 30th.

Insider Activity at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 41,034 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.99, for a total value of $1,066,473.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 515,004 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,384,953.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 17,274 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total transaction of $605,453.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 137,078 shares in the company, valued at $4,804,583.90. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Sharon Price John sold 41,034 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.99, for a total value of $1,066,473.66. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 515,004 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,384,953.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 169,268 shares of company stock worth $5,486,016. 7.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of BBW stock traded up $0.43 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $35.64. 330,927 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 232,030. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $21.24 and a fifty-two week high of $35.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $492.01 million, a P/E ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 1.55. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $30.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.49.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $111.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $107.90 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 37.81% and a net margin of 10.36%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 26th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Build-A-Bear Workshop's payout ratio is 22.92%.

Build-A-Bear Workshop announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, September 11th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 23.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.