Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Blue Bird from buy to hold, even as the broader analyst view remains constructive with a Moderate Buy consensus.
• Blue Bird shares were down 1.7% and traded at $76.20; the stock has ranged from $42.95 to $83.39 over the past year.
• The company recently posted better-than-expected earnings, with EPS of $1.00 versus $0.88 expected and revenue of $352.63 million topping estimates, while analysts still see about 4.5 EPS for the full year.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on BLBD. BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research raised Blue Bird from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Roth Capital assumed coverage on Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, June 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $94.00 price objective on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.17.

Blue Bird Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of BLBD stock opened at $76.20 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $73.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.20. Blue Bird has a twelve month low of $42.95 and a twelve month high of $83.39. The company has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.27 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.12. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 53.68% and a net margin of 8.91%.The business had revenue of $352.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $335.23 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLBD. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 279.7% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,540 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,012,000 after acquiring an additional 15,867 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in Blue Bird by 161.7% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 277,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,056,000 after purchasing an additional 171,642 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 135,562 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 285.4% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 101,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,787,000 after buying an additional 75,428 shares during the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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