Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Stock Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD)’s stock price passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $55.23 and traded as high as $55.83. Blue Bird shares last traded at $54.42, with a volume of 233,045 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BLBD shares. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.20.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $55.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.52. 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 capitalization of $1.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.40.

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 the consensus estimate of $325.74 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 57.60%. The firm’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 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Blue Bird Corporation will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 3,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.98, for a total value of $239,346.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 42,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,576,709.90. This trade represents a 8.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.54, for a total transaction of $303,939.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 39,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,283,703.94. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BLBD. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 775 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Blue Bird by 222.7% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Blue Bird by 10,028.6% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the period. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.