Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the nine analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $85.3333.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BLBD shares. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $86.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Barclays increased their target price on Blue Bird from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Blue Bird from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 24.6% in 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 during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 279.7% during the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 15,867 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 161.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 277,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,056,000 after purchasing an additional 171,642 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,041,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,931,000 after purchasing an additional 135,562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 177,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,362,000 after purchasing an additional 15,107 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD opened at $61.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $73.68 and a 200 day moving average of $65.93. The firm has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 7.53, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.36. Blue Bird has a one year low of $46.14 and a one year high of $83.39.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last posted 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. Blue Bird had a net margin of 17.48% and a return on equity of 39.97%. The business had revenue of $517.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.73 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Blue Bird will post 4.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.