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what it is
Build-A-Bear sells stuffed animals, outfits, and party-sized nostalgia through stores, wholesale partners, and franchises.
how it gets paid
Last year Build-A-Bear made $496M in revenue. North America corporately-managed stores was the main engine at $413.9M, or 83% of sales.
why it's growing
Revenue grew 2.1% last year. Gross margin at 56.0% matters most because margin tells you the brand still has pricing power.
what just happened
Revenue hit $375M, while EPS reached $2.73 and gross margin held at 56.0%.
At a glance
B balance sheet — gets the job done, barely
20/100 earnings predictability — expect surprises
13.5x trailing p/e — the market's not buying it — or you found a deal
2.2% dividend yield — cash in your pocket every quarter
37.2% return on capital — every dollar works hard here
xvary composite: 46/100 — below average
What they do
Build-A-Bear sells stuffed animals, outfits, and party-sized nostalgia through stores, wholesale partners, and franchises.
You are not just buying a plush toy. You are buying a small ceremony. Build-A-Bear ran 589 locations as of February 1, 2025, and that hands-on format lets it keep a 56.0% gross margin while plain retail fights for scraps.
How they make money
$496M
annual revenue · their business grew +2.1% last year
North America corporately-managed stores
$413.9M
+10.8%
UK & Ireland corporately-managed stores
$50.5M
+10.8%
Partner-operated wholesale
$19.8M
+21.1%
International franchise revenue
$11.8M
+21.1%
The products that matter
custom stuffed animal retail
Retail Sales
$464M · 93.6% of revenue
This is the entire story for now: $464M of a $496M business, driven by customers visiting 650+ locations and paying for the experience as much as the toy.
core
licensing, wholesale, and partnerships
Commercial Product & Service
$32M · +21.1% growth
It is only 6.4% of revenue today, but this $32M segment grew 21.1%. Small base, faster growth. That is usually where management goes looking for its next leg.
faster-growing
Key numbers
37.2%
capital returns
Return on capital → profit produced from money invested → so what: Build-A-Bear turns each corporate dollar into unusually strong earnings power.
16.3%
operating margin
Operating margin → what is left after running the business → so what: this toy retailer keeps about $16.30 from every $100 of sales.
13.5x
trailing p/e
P/E → how many dollars you pay for one dollar of earnings → so what: the stock is priced like a no-growth retailer, not a 56.0% gross margin brand.
$91M
long-term debt
Debt → money the company owes → so what: the balance sheet is fine, but this is not a cash-only story.
Financial health
B
strength
- balance sheet grade B — adequate — nothing special
- risk rank 3 — safer than 50% of stocks
- price stability 15 / 100
- long-term debt $91M (15% of capital)
B — functional but not a standout on the balance sheet.
Total return vs. market
Return history isn't available for BBW right now.
source: institutional data · return history unavailable
What just happened
beat estimates
Revenue hit $375M, while EPS reached $2.73 and gross margin held at 56.0%.
The quarter looked huge because revenue rose 206% vs. prior year and EPS jumped 340%. The quiet part is simpler: this business is still producing retail-level margins that most specialty chains would love.
$375M
revenue
$2.73
eps
56.0%
gross margin
the number that mattered
Gross margin at 56.0% matters most because margin tells you the brand still has pricing power, not just a lucky quarter.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
the #1 risk is execution during the Chris Hurt CEO transition.
high
CEO transition
Sharon Price John hands the CEO role to COO Chris Hurt after 13 years. Leadership changes are manageable when growth is strong. They matter more when revenue is expected to rise just 4.1%.
Execution misses would hit sentiment fast because the stock already carries a 15 / 100 price stability score.
high
mall traffic and store concentration
Retail sales are $464M, or 93.6% of revenue. That means the business still lives and dies by store traffic, even with e-commerce and partnerships in the mix.
Any sustained slowdown in store visits pressures almost the entire revenue base.
high
tariff exposure on sourced merchandise
Management is dealing with tariff pressure at the same time it is trying to protect margin and keep value perception intact for families.
If costs rise and pricing cannot fully follow, earnings take the hit first.
med
slow growth ceiling
Analysts project 4.1% annual revenue growth and 2.9% earnings growth. Those are fine numbers for a stable retailer. They are not the numbers that usually force a rerating.
If growth stays here, most of your return likely comes from buybacks, dividends, and multiple stability rather than expansion.
The risk stack touches 93.6% of revenue in stores, while the market only expects 4.1% revenue growth and 2.9% earnings growth. There is not much room for execution mistakes.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
earnings
next earnings report
Estimated for May 21, 2026. Last quarter EPS was $0.62, beating estimates by $0.07. You want to see whether that beat turns into a cleaner growth trend.
leadership
the Chris Hurt handoff
A 13-year CEO era is ending. For a $530M company, leadership continuity can matter as much as product demand.
mix shift
commercial growth staying faster than retail
Commercial Product & Service grew 21.1% versus 10.8% for retail. Small segment, yes. But it is the only part of the business currently growing like a growth business.
capital return
the remaining $72.5M buyback authorization
The company repurchased $27.5M in fiscal 2025 out of a $100M program. For a $530M market cap, that authorization is not cosmetic.
Analyst rankings
earnings predictability
20 / 100
Low predictability means the earnings line has not been smooth. In human-speak, analysts do not fully trust quarter-to-quarter consistency here.
risk rank
3
This sits around the market middle. You are not buying a bunker stock, but you are not buying a balance-sheet accident either.
price stability
15 / 100
The business can look steady while the stock does not. That gap matters if you care about volatility as much as fundamentals.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutional ownership data for BBW is being compiled.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
n/a
n/a
$63
current price
n/a
target midpoint · n/a from current
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