Alberta Investment Management Corp Acquires New Holdings in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 11,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $433,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Blue Bird

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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,379,871.68. This trade represents a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $35.05 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $38.90 and a 200-day moving average of $42.93. Blue Bird Co. has a twelve month low of $29.93 and a twelve month high of $59.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.56.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BLBD has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $63.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Craig Hallum lifted their price objective 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. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.21.

Blue Bird 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.