Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Blue Bird from “Hold” to “Buy,” adding to broadly positive analyst sentiment. MarketBeat reports a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $85.33.
• Blue Bird exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.28 in earnings per share versus a $1.25 estimate and revenue of $517.16 million compared with $485.73 million expected.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 93.59%, with several major investors—including UBS, Vanguard and Jefferies—raising their positions in the company.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on BLBD. Freedom Capital raised Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Blue Bird from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $86.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $93.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.33.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

NASDAQ BLBD opened at $61.89 on Friday. Blue Bird has a 1-year low of $46.14 and a 1-year high of $83.39. The company has a 50 day moving average of $73.68 and a 200-day moving average of $65.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.53, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.36.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $517.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.73 million. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 39.97% and a net margin of 17.48%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. HighTower Advisors LLC grew 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 valued at $3,925,000 after purchasing an additional 16,501 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 279.7% in the fourth 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 period. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 161.7% in the fourth 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 period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 135,562 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 177,924 shares of the company's stock worth $8,362,000 after purchasing an additional 15,107 shares in 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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