Aurora Investment Counsel Makes New $2.29 Million Investment in Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Aurora Investment Counsel bought a new stake in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 28,937 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,285,000. Blue Bird makes up about 1.2% of Aurora Investment Counsel's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Aurora Investment Counsel owned about 0.09% of Blue Bird at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the second quarter valued at approximately $207,493,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 197.3% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 712,707 shares of the company's stock worth $33,497,000 after acquiring an additional 472,990 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 383.1% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 425,214 shares of the company's stock worth $24,471,000 after acquiring an additional 337,196 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 41.8% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,102,335 shares of the company's stock worth $62,669,000 after purchasing an additional 324,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 362.2% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 304,196 shares of the company's stock worth $17,275,000 after purchasing an additional 238,379 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BLBD. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Freedom Capital raised Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Blue Bird from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Blue Bird from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $93.00 target price on Blue Bird in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.33.

Blue Bird Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $62.52 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.36. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $74.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Blue Bird Corporation has a 12-month low of $46.14 and a 12-month high of $83.39.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $517.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 anticipate that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Blue Bird Company 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.

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