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

Shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $77.80.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. BTIG Research raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th.

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 shares were 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 directly owned 39,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,283,703.94. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blue Bird

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 24.6% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 83,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,925,000 after purchasing an additional 16,501 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 185.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 925,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,283,000 after purchasing an additional 601,690 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth about $10,932,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 279.7% during the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 15,867 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 161.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 277,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,056,000 after purchasing an additional 171,642 shares during the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of BLBD opened at $69.30 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.38. Blue Bird has a 52-week low of $37.68 and a 52-week high of $81.51.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.12. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 53.68%. The business had revenue of $352.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.96 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Blue Bird will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.