Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on BBW. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from $85.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, CJS Securities began coverage on Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. They set a “market outperform” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Build-A-Bear Workshop has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.75.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Trading Down 2.7%

NYSE BBW traded down $1.23 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $44.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 199,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 329,180. The stock has a market capitalization of $575.89 million, a PE ratio of 10.22 and a beta of 1.08. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a 1-year low of $32.55 and a 1-year high of $75.85. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $58.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.25.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The specialty retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $122.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $124.28 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.43% and a net margin of 10.93%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Build-A-Bear Workshop

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BBW. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 22.0% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 917,479 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $59,828,000 after buying an additional 165,159 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 177.8% in the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 612,577 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,533,000 after acquiring an additional 392,039 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 6.7% in the 3rd 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. State Street Corp grew its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 391,646 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $24,072,000 after acquiring an additional 85,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 129.1% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 374,756 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $22,963,000 after purchasing an additional 211,145 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Company 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.