Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD Stock Position Cut by 325 Capital LLC

325 Capital LLC lessened its stake in Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 12.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 679,826 shares of the company’s stock after selling 93,367 shares during the period. Blue Bird accounts for approximately 11.2% of 325 Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. 325 Capital LLC’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $31,952,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in Blue Bird in the fourth quarter valued at about $483,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Blue Bird by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 243,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,447,000 after purchasing an additional 12,088 shares during the last quarter. EFG International AG purchased a new position in Blue Bird in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,719,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Blue Bird by 49.8% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 65,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,093,000 after purchasing an additional 21,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd grew its stake in Blue Bird by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd now owns 142,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,688,000 after purchasing an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD opened at $73.35 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company has a market cap of $2.32 billion, a PE ratio of 18.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.16. Blue Bird Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $41.51 and a fifty-two week high of $81.51.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.12. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 53.68% and a net margin of 8.91%.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 company earned $0.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Freedom Capital downgraded Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays raised their price target on Blue Bird from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research raised their price target on Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.80.

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.