Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases Shares of 107,497 Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 107,497 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $6,586,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.83% of Build-A-Bear Workshop at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 22.0% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 917,479 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $59,828,000 after acquiring an additional 165,159 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 6.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 535,791 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,939,000 after acquiring an additional 33,445 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 199.7% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 28,858 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,768,000 after acquiring an additional 19,229 shares in the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the third quarter worth about $897,000. Finally, DNB Asset Management AS bought a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the fourth quarter worth about $1,226,000. 79.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

Shares of BBW stock opened at $36.88 on Tuesday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.08 and a 52-week high of $75.85. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.88. The company has a market capitalization of $463.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.24 and a beta of 1.06.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by ($0.01). Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 34.25% and a net margin of 9.85%.The firm had revenue of $154.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $155.71 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 26th. This is a positive change from Build-A-Bear Workshop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s payout ratio is currently 23.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BBW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Zacks Research raised shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.33.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Profile

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc operates a specialty retail business focused on interactive “workshop” experiences that allow customers to create customized stuffed animals. Through its in-store and online platforms, the company offers a wide range of plush toys, apparel, accessories and sound modules, enabling guests to personalize each creation. In addition to its core bear products, Build-A-Bear has expanded its portfolio to include licensed characters from leading entertainment and media franchises.

Founded in 1997 by Maxine Clark and headquartered in St.