Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $1.29 Million in Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired 39,850 shares of Blue Bird Corporation, worth approximately $1.29 million, representing about 0.12% ownership of the company.
• Blue Bird Corporation reported a 3.7% year-over-year increase in revenue, achieving $358.85 million and an EPS of $0.96, slightly surpassing analysts' expectations.
• Institutional investors own 93.59% of Blue Bird stock, reflecting strong interest from various financial firms, including Victory Capital Management, which increased its stake by 50.2% in the first quarter.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 39,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,290,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.12% of Blue Bird as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 50.2% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 68,171 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,207,000 after purchasing an additional 22,799 shares during the period. Tectonic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 36.9% during the 1st quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 26,357 shares of the company's stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 7,110 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 26.2% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 43,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,423,000 after purchasing an additional 9,130 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 9.3% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,771 shares of the company's stock worth $122,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 45.1% in the 1st quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 10,300 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 3,200 shares during the period. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, Director Phil Horlock sold 13,289 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.70, for a total value of $554,151.30. Following the transaction, the director owned 270,766 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,290,942.20. This represents a 4.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.19, for a total transaction of $451,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 58,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,630,193.57. This represents a 14.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 32,149 shares of company stock worth $1,369,666. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BLBD. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $49.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $67.00 to $61.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Blue Bird from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.79.

Blue Bird Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD traded down $1.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $43.33. The stock had a trading volume of 463,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 383,556. The company's 50 day moving average is $42.69 and its 200-day moving average is $38.31. Blue Bird Corporation has a 12-month low of $30.04 and a 12-month high of $55.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.45. The company has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 13.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.50.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.01. Blue Bird had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 64.83%. The firm had revenue of $358.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. The company's revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Blue Bird Corporation will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

About Blue Bird

Blue Bird Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells school buses in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Bus and Parts. It offers Type C, Type D, and specialty buses; and alternative power options through its propane powered, gasoline powered, compressed natural gas powered, and electric powered school buses, as well as diesel engines.