Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Lowered to Buy Rating by Wall Street Zen

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Bank of America upped their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.20.

Blue Bird Stock Up 6.6%

Shares of BLBD opened at $59.21 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $50.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.45. Blue Bird has a 12-month low of $30.04 and a 12-month high of $61.95.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $333.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.74 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 57.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 49,087 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,493.93. This trade represents a 13.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of Blue Bird stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total transaction of $775,510.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at $11,363,911.70. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLBD. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in Blue Bird by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 83,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,925,000 after acquiring an additional 16,501 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 38.0% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $360,000 after acquiring an additional 2,109 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 30,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,419,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 49.7% in the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,620 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Blue Bird News

Here are the key news stories impacting Blue Bird this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — Blue Bird reported $1.00 EPS vs. ~$0.80 consensus and revenue ahead of estimates; management highlighted strong revenue growth and an expanding EV backlog, which supports upside to future electric school‑bus sales. Blue Bird Q1 Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades / price‑target increases — Needham raised its PT to $78 (buy) and BTIG reaffirmed a buy with a $65 PT; analyst optimism amplifies buying interest and supports a higher valuation. Needham PT Raise BTIG Reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction & coverage — Multiple outlets are reporting the strong Q1 and EV backlog narrative, and intraday volume is elevated versus average, indicating institutional or momentum-driven flows. MSN Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears to be invalid/zero in the latest release (shows 0 shares / NaN change), so there’s no clear short‑pressure signal to explain the move. This likely has little explanatory power until corrected.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/peer commentary — Recent pieces compare Blue Bird to other automotive/EV names (e.g., Tesla) and track relative performance vs. peers; useful context but not direct catalysts. BLBD vs TSLA Sector Performance

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.