Trexquant Investment LP Increases Stock Position in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Trexquant Investment LP boosted its position in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 72.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 119,892 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 50,188 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $3,232,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BLBD. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 220.1% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the 4th quarter worth about $66,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the 4th quarter worth about $89,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 568.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 3,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 3,225 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Blue Bird during the 4th quarter valued at about $222,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

In related news, President Britton Smith sold 6,228 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.49, for a total value of $208,575.72. Following the transaction, the president now owns 87,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,922,002.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $54.54. The company had a trading volume of 416,844 shares, compared to its average volume of 716,180. The business’s 50-day moving average is $39.67 and its 200-day moving average is $30.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.40. Blue Bird Co. has a 52 week low of $17.59 and a 52 week high of $56.41.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BLBD shares. Craig Hallum lifted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $54.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $44.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $35.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $44.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.25.

About Blue Bird

Blue Bird Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells school buses in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Bus and Parts. It offers Type C, Type D, and specialty buses; and alternative power options through its propane powered, gasoline powered, compressed natural gas powered, and electric powered school buses, as well as diesel engines.