Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Blue Bird Corporation has an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy", with seven buy ratings and two hold ratings among nine covering analysts. The consensus 12-month price target is about $82.17.
• Several analysts recently raised their views or price targets, including Roth Capital initiating coverage with a buy rating and $94 target, while Barclays, BTIG, and Needham also lifted targets and maintained bullish ratings.
• Blue Bird reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $1.00 EPS versus the $0.88 estimate and revenue of $352.63 million above forecasts. The company also has strong institutional ownership, with investors holding 93.59% of shares.

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nine analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $82.1667.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Roth Capital started coverage on Blue Bird in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $94.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded Blue Bird from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. BTIG Research upped their target price on Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday.

Blue Bird Trading Down 0.3%

BLBD opened at $81.28 on Wednesday. Blue Bird has a 1-year low of $42.89 and a 1-year high of $83.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $73.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.65.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $352.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.23 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 53.68%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Blue Bird will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,041,085 shares of the company's stock worth $95,931,000 after acquiring an additional 135,562 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Blue Bird by 41.8% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Blue Bird by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,048,028 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,257,000 after acquiring an additional 8,430 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 865,136 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,661,000 after purchasing an additional 109,668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 769,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,159,000 after purchasing an additional 3,120 shares during the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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