Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 41.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,334,710 shares of the company’s stock after selling 932,421 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 4.21% of Blue Bird worth $76,813,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC raised its stake in Blue Bird by 3.9% during the second quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC now owns 447,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,311,000 after purchasing an additional 16,765 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $376,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 50.1% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 324,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,991,000 after buying an additional 108,168 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Blue Bird in the third quarter valued at approximately $6,359,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Blue Bird in the second quarter valued at approximately $967,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

NASDAQ BLBD opened at $57.53 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $52.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.86. Blue Bird Corporation has a 1-year low of $30.04 and a 1-year high of $62.90.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $333.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.74 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 57.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Blue Bird Corporation will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BLBD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research raised Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.20.

Insider Activity at Blue Bird

In related news, 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 value of $775,510.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,363,911.70. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $402,313.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 49,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,473,493.93. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 27,290 shares of company stock valued at $1,417,170 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Blue Bird Profile

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.