Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) has an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with six buy ratings, one hold, and one sell among eight covering firms. The average 12-month price target is $77.80.
• The stock recently traded up 2.3% to $69.30, after moving between a 52-week low of $37.68 and high of $81.51. It also sports a market cap of about $2.19 billion and a PEG ratio of 0.95.
• Blue Bird’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, posting $1.00 EPS on revenue of $352.64 million, both ahead of analyst forecasts. The company also continues to see strong institutional ownership, with hedge funds and other investors holding 93.59% of shares.

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $77.80.

BLBD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Freedom Capital cut shares of Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th.

Blue Bird Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of Blue Bird stock opened at $69.30 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.49. Blue Bird has a 12-month low of $37.68 and a 12-month high of $81.51. 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 stock has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.38.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.12. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 53.68%. The business had revenue of $352.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $335.23 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.96 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 4.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Blue Bird news, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.54, for a total transaction of $303,939.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 39,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,283,703.94. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blue Bird

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 10,028.6% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 775 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 222.7% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 823 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,237 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.59% of the company's stock.

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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