Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Hits New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Blue Bird shares hit a new 52-week high, reaching $82.48 intraday before closing near $82.40. The move came alongside solid trading volume of about 154,741 shares.
• Recent analyst action has been broadly positive, with multiple firms raising price targets and issuing bullish ratings. The stock now carries a consensus Moderate Buy and an average price target of $82.17.
• The company’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $1.00 versus the $0.88 estimate and revenue of $352.63 million above forecasts. Blue Bird also reported strong profitability metrics, including an 8.91% net margin and 53.68% return on equity.

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $82.48 and last traded at $82.4010, with a volume of 154741 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $78.34.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on BLBD. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. 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. Roth Capital started coverage on Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, June 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $94.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research raised Blue Bird from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $86.00 target price on Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $82.17.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $73.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.17. The company has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.02, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $352.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $335.23 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 83,508 shares of the company's stock worth $3,925,000 after purchasing an additional 16,501 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 279.7% during the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,540 shares of the company's stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 15,867 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 161.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 277,796 shares of the company's stock worth $13,056,000 after purchasing an additional 171,642 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $10,932,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,041,085 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,931,000 after buying an additional 135,562 shares during the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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