Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Blue Bird from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. DA Davidson raised their target price on Blue Bird from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $86.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Roth Capital set a $93.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $85.33.

Blue Bird Stock Down 0.0%

Blue Bird stock opened at $63.63 on Friday. Blue Bird has a fifty-two week low of $46.14 and a fifty-two week high of $83.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $70.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.29. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 7.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.36.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 39.97% and a net margin of 17.48%.The company had revenue of $517.16 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $485.73 million. Research analysts expect that Blue Bird will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BLBD. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Blue Bird in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 775 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the period. Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in Blue Bird during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Dunhill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Blue Bird in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Blue Bird by 222.7% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.