Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $64.60.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BLBD shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Monday, November 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

In other news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $402,313.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 49,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,473,493.93. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total transaction of $775,510.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at $11,363,911.70. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 40.0% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,267,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,849,000 after buying an additional 647,637 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 185.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 925,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,283,000 after acquiring an additional 601,690 shares during the period. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 27.9% during the 2nd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 823,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,525,000 after purchasing an additional 179,500 shares in the last quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 8.0% in the third quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC now owns 483,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,814,000 after purchasing an additional 35,880 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Blue Bird by 383.1% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 425,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,471,000 after purchasing an additional 337,196 shares during the period. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blue Bird Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $50.61 on Wednesday. Blue Bird has a 52-week low of $30.04 and a 52-week high of $61.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.74. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.20.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.35. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 62.87% and a net margin of 8.63%.The firm had revenue of $409.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.37 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.77 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

About Blue Bird

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ: BLBD) is a leading manufacturer of buses and mass transportation vehicles headquartered in Fort Valley, Georgia. The company’s core business encompasses the design, engineering, and production of school buses and activity buses, with a product lineup that includes conventional (Type C) models, transit-style (Type D) models and specialty configurations for special-needs and activity transport. In recent years, Blue Bird has expanded its offerings to include zero-emission electric school buses, reflecting its commitment to advanced propulsion technologies and environmental sustainability.

Established in 1927, Blue Bird has built a legacy of safety and reliability in student transportation.