26,000 Shares in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. $BBW Purchased by Chase Investment Counsel Corp

Chase Investment Counsel Corp acquired a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 26,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $973,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BBW. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 199.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 28,858 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,768,000 after purchasing an additional 19,229 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,226,000. Meros Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,004,000. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the first quarter worth approximately $1,586,000. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,586,000. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, Director George Carrara sold 3,000 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.52, for a total transaction of $103,560.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $389,282.04. The trade was a 21.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 4.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of BBW opened at $33.99 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $426.28 million, a PE ratio of 7.96 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $33.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.27. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.35 and a 52-week high of $75.85.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The specialty retailer reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.27. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 32.15% and a net margin of 10.48%.The firm had revenue of $125.27 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $129.45 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 4.04 EPS for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BBW has been the topic of several analyst reports. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.00.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop

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.