Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Hits New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Blue Bird hit a new 52-week high in mid-day trading, reaching $65.47 and last trading near $64.91 on volume of about 370,613 shares.
• Analysts have mostly upgraded the stock (six Buys, one Hold), giving a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.20, with Needham raising its target to $78.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.00 EPS vs. $0.80 expected and $333.1M revenue (up 6.1% year-over-year), with a strong 57.6% return on equity and a market cap of about $2.05B.

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $65.47 and last traded at $64.91, with a volume of 370613 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.46.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BLBD. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $67.20.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.81. The firm has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.40. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $57.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $53.66.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 57.60%. The business had revenue of $333.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Blue Bird Corporation will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 3,925 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.98, for a total value of $239,346.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 42,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,576,709.90. The trade was a 8.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 39,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,283,703.94. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,793 shares of the company's stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 5,208 shares of the company's stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,464 shares of the company's stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 67,007 shares of the company's stock worth $3,856,000 after buying an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position 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 worth $36,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company's stock.

About Blue Bird

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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