Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD Shares Acquired by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its Blue Bird stake by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 135,562 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 2.04 million shares, or about 6.46% of the company.
• Blue Bird reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.00 versus the $0.88 consensus and revenue of $352.64 million, though sales were down 1.7% from a year earlier.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive overall: Blue Bird has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.80, even as some firms recently cut their ratings.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,041,085 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 135,562 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 6.46% of Blue Bird worth $95,931,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 10,028.6% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 1,742.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 1,237 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 30.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,885 shares of the company's stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter worth $98,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 184.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,903 shares of the company's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company's stock.

Blue Bird Trading Up 2.4%

NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $71.00 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average is $59.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Blue Bird Corporation has a 12 month low of $37.68 and a 12 month high of $81.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of 17.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.38.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $352.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.23 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 3,925 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.98, for a total value of $239,346.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 42,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,576,709.90. This trade represents a 8.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.54, for a total value of $303,939.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 39,011 shares in the company, valued at $2,283,703.94. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BLBD. Wall Street Zen lowered Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Freedom Capital lowered Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research lowered Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC increased 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. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Blue Bird from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.80.

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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