VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Invests $3.11 Million in Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 39,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,111,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BLBD. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in Blue Bird by 7,078.5% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,736,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,069,000 after purchasing an additional 2,698,318 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the second quarter valued at about $207,493,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,041,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,931,000 after buying an additional 135,562 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Blue Bird during the second quarter worth about $94,222,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Blue Bird by 41.8% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,102,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,669,000 after acquiring an additional 324,710 shares during the period. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blue Bird Stock Down 0.9%

NASDAQ BLBD opened at $62.05 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 7.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.36. Blue Bird Corporation has a one year low of $46.14 and a one year high of $83.39. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $517.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.73 million. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 39.97% and a net margin of 17.48%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BLBD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Blue Bird from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note 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 assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $85.33.

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.