Barclays PLC Sells 65,512 Shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Barclays PLC trimmed its position in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 50.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,146 shares of the company's stock after selling 65,512 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.20% of Blue Bird worth $2,439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BLBD. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 162.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,840,198 shares of the company's stock worth $186,977,000 after buying an additional 2,998,453 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,426,912 shares of the company's stock worth $93,752,000 after acquiring an additional 25,745 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Blue Bird by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,335,122 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,576,000 after acquiring an additional 160,248 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Blue Bird by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 765,490 shares of the company's stock worth $29,578,000 after purchasing an additional 13,262 shares during the period. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Blue Bird by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 641,265 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,772,000 after buying an additional 5,345 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Shares of BLBD traded up $1.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $37.97. The stock had a trading volume of 584,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 668,002. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.42. The company's 50-day moving average is $34.08 and its 200 day moving average is $37.93. Blue Bird Co. has a 12-month low of $30.04 and a 12-month high of $59.40.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.05% and a return on equity of 75.22%. On average, equities analysts predict that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total transaction of $108,565.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,664 shares in the company, valued at $3,379,871.68. This represents a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BLBD has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Blue Bird from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $67.00 to $61.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.36.

Blue Bird Profile

Blue Bird Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells school buses in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Bus and Parts. It offers Type C, Type D, and specialty buses; and alternative power options through its propane powered, gasoline powered, compressed natural gas powered, and electric powered school buses, as well as diesel engines.