Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $67.20.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BLBD shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th.

Blue Bird Stock Down 5.6%

NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $58.85 on Friday. Blue Bird has a 1 year low of $30.04 and a 1 year high of $62.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $52.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.87. The stock has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.86, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 57.60% and a net margin of 8.65%.The business had revenue of $333.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. Blue Bird’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 225,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,363,911.70. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total transaction of $402,313.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 49,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,473,493.93. This represents a 13.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 27,290 shares of company stock valued at $1,417,170. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blue Bird

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in 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 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 222.7% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

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.