Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One 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 analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $67.20.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Barclays raised their target price on Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, February 5th.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of BLBD stock opened at $53.91 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.61, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.40. Blue Bird has a fifty-two week low of $30.04 and a fifty-two week high of $62.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $54.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.69.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.54, for a total transaction of $303,939.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 39,011 shares in the company, valued at $2,283,703.94. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 3,925 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.98, for a total value of $239,346.50. Following the transaction, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,267,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,849,000 after purchasing an additional 647,637 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 185.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 925,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,283,000 after buying an additional 601,690 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 197.3% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 712,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,497,000 after buying an additional 472,990 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Blue Bird by 383.1% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 425,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,471,000 after buying an additional 337,196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC bought a new position in Blue Bird in the third quarter worth about $14,134,000. 93.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.