Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Price Target Raised to $78.00

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) had its price objective raised by analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $70.00 to $78.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 56.97% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. DA Davidson boosted 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. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.20.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Blue Bird stock opened at $49.69 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.45. Blue Bird has a one year low of $30.04 and a one year high of $61.95. The business has a fifty day moving average of $50.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.74.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $333.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.74 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 62.87%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

In related news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total transaction of $775,510.02. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,363,911.70. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was 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 approximately $2,473,493.93. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Blue Bird during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Blue Bird by 10,028.6% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Blue Bird by 159.9% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 1,742.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares during the period. 93.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key 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 of $333.1M vs. ~$325.7M expected; revenue rose ~6% year-over-year and margins/ROE remained strong. This is the primary driver of the stock move. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: EV backlog and growth highlighted on the call — management emphasized strong demand and a growing electric-bus backlog, supporting medium‑term revenue and margin upside in electrification. Yahoo — Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and targets — multiple recent buy ratings and a median price target near $67.50 give the stock additional upside potential from current levels. QuiverQuant — Analyst Coverage & Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 guidance roughly in line with Street — company commentary and materials indicate revenue expectations near the Street (~$1.5B range), so the beat was driven more by Q1 execution than by raised full‑year guidance. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Full call disclosure available — the earnings call transcript and slide presentation provide detail on margins, cash flow and backlog for investors wanting to dig deeper. Seeking Alpha — Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling noted — recent filings show multiple insider sales over the past six months, which could be perceived as a headwind by some investors. QuiverQuant — Insider Activity

Blue Bird Company 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.