Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $67.20.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. 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. Finally, Zacks Research cut Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Shares of Blue Bird stock opened at $61.76 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 15.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.40. Blue Bird has a 52-week low of $32.90 and a 52-week high of $65.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.81.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blue Bird

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in Blue Bird by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in Blue Bird in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 222.7% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

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.