Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.20.

Blue Bird Trading Up 6.6%

Blue Bird stock opened at $59.21 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $50.21 and a 200-day moving average of $52.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Blue Bird has a one year low of $30.04 and a one year high of $61.95.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total value of $775,510.02. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 225,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,363,911.70. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction of $402,313.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 49,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BLBD. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Blue Bird by 10,028.6% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Blue Bird by 159.9% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 611 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Blue Bird by 1,742.3% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 1,237 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Blue Bird

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 ahead of estimates; management highlighted strong revenue growth and an expanding EV backlog, which supports upside to future electric school‑bus sales. Blue Bird Q1 Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades / price‑target increases — Needham raised its PT to $78 (buy) and BTIG reaffirmed a buy with a $65 PT; analyst optimism amplifies buying interest and supports a higher valuation. Needham PT Raise BTIG Reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction & coverage — Multiple outlets are reporting the strong Q1 and EV backlog narrative, and intraday volume is elevated versus average, indicating institutional or momentum-driven flows. MSN Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears to be invalid/zero in the latest release (shows 0 shares / NaN change), so there’s no clear short‑pressure signal to explain the move. This likely has little explanatory power until corrected.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/peer commentary — Recent pieces compare Blue Bird to other automotive/EV names (e.g., Tesla) and track relative performance vs. peers; useful context but not direct catalysts. BLBD vs TSLA Sector Performance

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.