Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.20.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

BLBD stock opened at $59.21 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $50.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.59. Blue Bird has a 1-year low of $30.04 and a 1-year high of $61.95. The firm has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.45.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 57.60% and a net margin of 8.65%.The company had revenue of $333.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total transaction of $775,510.02. Following the sale, the director directly owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,363,911.70. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $402,313.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 49,087 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,493.93. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Blue Bird by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in Blue Bird by 24.6% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 83,508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,925,000 after acquiring an additional 16,501 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 2,109 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 30,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,419,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in Blue Bird by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 1,866 shares during the period. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Blue Bird News

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

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.