Analysts Set Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) Price Target at $57.36

Shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $57.36.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BLBD shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Blue Bird from $67.00 to $61.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st.

Blue Bird Stock Up 4.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD traded up $1.57 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $37.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 84,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 663,631. Blue Bird has a 12-month low of $30.04 and a 12-month high of $59.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $34.05 and a 200-day moving average of $38.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.62, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 75.22% and a net margin of 8.05%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of the business's 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. The trade was a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blue Bird

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 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 valued at $186,977,000 after buying an additional 2,998,453 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,426,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $93,752,000 after acquiring an additional 25,745 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,933,278 shares of the company's stock worth $74,683,000 after purchasing an additional 241,117 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings 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 worth $51,576,000 after purchasing an additional 160,248 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Blue Bird by 355.3% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 883,404 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,126,000 after purchasing an additional 689,394 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company's stock.

About Blue Bird

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.