Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Needham & Company LLC Analyst Says

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC from $70.00 to $78.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 31.73% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised their target price on Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.20.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

BLBD opened at $59.21 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.59. Blue Bird has a 52-week low of $30.04 and a 52-week high of $61.95. The company has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 57.60%. The firm had revenue of $333.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $325.74 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In other news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of Blue Bird 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 sale, the director owned 225,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,363,911.70. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $402,313.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 49,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,473,493.93. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blue Bird

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in Blue Bird in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 10,028.6% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 159.9% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 1,742.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

More 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.