The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Invests $207,000 in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,492 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 494.7% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,689 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 1,405 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,793 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $175,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 4th quarter valued at $200,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. 79.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

NYSE:BBW opened at $42.33 on Monday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a one year low of $23.63 and a one year high of $48.23. The firm has a market cap of $558.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $37.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.31.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $150.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $147.53 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 27th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. This is a positive change from Build-A-Bear Workshop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 27th. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BBW shares. DA Davidson raised Build-A-Bear Workshop to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com downgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday.

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.