Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday. Barclays upped their target price on Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.20.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of BLBD stock opened at $59.21 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.45. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Blue Bird has a one year low of $30.04 and a one year high of $61.95.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last released its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Blue Bird 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 transaction of $775,510.02. Following the transaction, the director 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 49,087 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,493.93. This trade represents a 13.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in Blue Bird during the third quarter worth about $38,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased 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 valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 159.9% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Blue Bird by 1,742.3% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Blue Bird this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — Blue Bird reported $1.00 EPS vs. ~$0.80 consensus and revenue ahead of estimates; management highlighted strong revenue growth and an expanding EV backlog, which supports upside to future electric school‑bus sales. Blue Bird Q1 Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades / price‑target increases — Needham raised its PT to $78 (buy) and BTIG reaffirmed a buy with a $65 PT; analyst optimism amplifies buying interest and supports a higher valuation. Needham PT Raise BTIG Reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction & coverage — Multiple outlets are reporting the strong Q1 and EV backlog narrative, and intraday volume is elevated versus average, indicating institutional or momentum-driven flows. MSN Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears to be invalid/zero in the latest release (shows 0 shares / NaN change), so there’s no clear short‑pressure signal to explain the move. This likely has little explanatory power until corrected.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/peer commentary — Recent pieces compare Blue Bird to other automotive/EV names (e.g., Tesla) and track relative performance vs. peers; useful context but not direct catalysts. BLBD vs TSLA Sector Performance

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.