XTX Topco Ltd Acquires 3,616 Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

XTX Topco Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 35.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,702 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,616 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd owned 0.10% of Build-A-Bear Workshop worth $471,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 34,467 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 111,069 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,807,000 after acquiring an additional 3,857 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 211.8% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 4,889 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,350 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 1,636 shares during the period. Finally, Privium Fund Management UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 2nd quarter valued at about $332,000. Institutional investors own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

NYSE BBW opened at $41.02 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $554.51 million, a P/E ratio of 10.91 and a beta of 1.53. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a one year low of $21.24 and a one year high of $47.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $37.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.47.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.03. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.40% and a net margin of 10.58%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.53 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, September 11th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 23.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, Director Lesli Rotenberg sold 2,473 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.10, for a total value of $101,640.30. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,724 shares in the company, valued at $481,856.40. This trade represents a 17.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $605,453.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 137,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,804,583.90. The trade was a 11.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 92,281 shares of company stock worth $3,311,358 over the last three months. 7.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on BBW. Northland Securities increased their target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $38.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday.

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.