Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Buys New Holdings in Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 17,708 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,019,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC owned 0.06% of Blue Bird as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Blue Bird by 159.9% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Blue Bird by 30.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 2,090.5% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 3,303 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

In related news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 225,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,363,911.70. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total transaction of $402,313.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 49,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,473,493.93. This represents a 13.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

NASDAQ BLBD opened at $50.31 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $50.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.28. Blue Bird Corporation has a 12-month low of $30.04 and a 12-month high of $61.95. The company has a market capitalization of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.60.

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.