Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Trading Up 8.1% After Strong Earnings

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD)’s share price rose 8.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $54.00 and last traded at $53.7150. Approximately 146,056 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average daily volume of 433,577 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.69.

The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $333.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on BLBD. DA Davidson raised their price target on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were 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 approximately $11,363,911.70. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Blue Bird by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $618,000 after buying an additional 820 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 30.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 2,090.5% in the 1st 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 period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 5.4% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in Blue Bird by 40.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 1,508 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $50.21 and a two-hundred 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. The company has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.45.

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.