Aurora Investment Counsel Makes New $2.11 Million Investment in Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Key Points

• Aurora Investment Counsel opened a new position in Blue Bird Corporation, buying 37,124 shares worth about $2.11 million in the first quarter and representing roughly 0.12% of the company.
• Blue Bird continues to attract institutional interest, with several funds boosting or initiating positions; overall, institutional investors own 93.59% of the stock.
• Analysts remain generally positive on BLBD, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $80.50, while the company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations.

Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 37,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,108,000. Aurora Investment Counsel owned about 0.12% of Blue Bird as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 23.6% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 506,665 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,767,000 after buying an additional 96,793 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 36.2% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 56,625 shares of the company's stock worth $3,216,000 after acquiring an additional 15,062 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,065,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $4,504,000. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 52,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,000,000 after acquiring an additional 4,700 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.59% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BLBD shares. Freedom Capital cut shares of Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Blue Bird from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.50.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Shares of BLBD opened at $78.34 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.35. Blue Bird Corporation has a twelve month low of $42.00 and a twelve month high of $81.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50 day moving average of $73.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.08.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.12. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 53.68% and a net margin of 8.91%.The firm had revenue of $352.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $335.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Blue Bird Profile

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BLBD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.