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

Shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $64.60.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on BLBD shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Zacks Research lowered Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Monday, November 3rd.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Blue Bird stock opened at $47.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.43. Blue Bird has a 12 month low of $30.04 and a 12 month high of $61.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $50.71 and its 200-day moving average is $51.66.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $409.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.37 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 62.87%. The company’s revenue was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total value of $775,510.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,363,911.70. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total transaction of $402,313.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 49,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,473,493.93. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new position in Blue Bird in the third quarter valued at about $10,932,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $460,000. 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 valued at $53,283,000 after buying an additional 601,690 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the third quarter worth approximately $822,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 10,028.6% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Blue Bird Company Profile

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.