Squarepoint Ops LLC Acquires 18,165 Shares of Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 58.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,165 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,165 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.16% of Blue Bird worth $2,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 40.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,267,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,849,000 after acquiring an additional 647,637 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Blue Bird by 1.8% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,358,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,981,000 after purchasing an additional 23,569 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in Blue Bird by 13.6% in the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 936,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,314,000 after purchasing an additional 112,197 shares during the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 27.9% in the second quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 823,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,525,000 after purchasing an additional 179,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 3.9% during the second quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC now owns 447,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,311,000 after buying an additional 16,765 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Trading Down 0.5%

NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $51.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.27, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Blue Bird Corporation has a 12 month low of $30.04 and a 12 month high of $61.95. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.76.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $402,313.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 49,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,473,493.93. This represents a 13.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $11,363,911.70. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.60.

Blue Bird Company Profile

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.