Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $58.21.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BLBD shares. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Craig Hallum lifted their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $63.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th.

Blue Bird Price Performance

NASDAQ BLBD opened at $34.61 on Wednesday. Blue Bird has a 12 month low of $29.78 and a 12 month high of $59.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 10.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.56. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.21.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.05% and a return on equity of 75.22%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 3.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of Blue Bird stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total value of $108,565.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,664 shares in the company, valued at $3,379,871.68. This trade represents a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter worth $987,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 60.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 58,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,783,000 after acquiring an additional 21,919 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 34.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 308,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,784,000 after acquiring an additional 79,129 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Blue Bird by 95.9% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 52,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,504,000 after purchasing an additional 25,563 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Encompass More Asset Management acquired a new stake in Blue Bird in the 4th quarter worth $1,376,000. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Company Profile

Blue Bird Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells school buses in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Bus and Parts. It offers Type C, Type D, and specialty buses; and alternative power options through its propane powered, gasoline powered, compressed natural gas powered, and electric powered school buses, as well as diesel engines.