Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) has been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $67.20.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BLBD shares. Zacks Research raised Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC increased 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. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Monday, November 3rd.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD opened at $61.00 on Friday. Blue Bird has a 1 year low of $30.04 and a 1 year high of $62.55. The firm has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $51.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.60. 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 data on Wednesday, February 4th. 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 the consensus estimate of $325.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 49,087 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,493.93. This trade represents a 13.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total value of $775,510.02. Following the sale, the director owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,363,911.70. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 27,290 shares of company stock valued at $1,417,170 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BLBD. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Blue Bird by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,267,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,849,000 after purchasing an additional 647,637 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Blue Bird by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,041,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,931,000 after buying an additional 135,562 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,048,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,257,000 after acquiring an additional 8,430 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 185.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 925,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,283,000 after acquiring an additional 601,690 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Blue Bird by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 865,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,661,000 after acquiring an additional 109,668 shares in the last quarter. 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.