Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Stock Position in Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its Blue Bird stake by 7.5% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 688,931 shares valued at about $39.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.59% of the company.
• Blue Bird beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.00 in adjusted earnings per share versus the $0.88 consensus and revenue of $352.63 million, though revenue declined 1.7% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with seven Buy ratings and two Holds; the stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $82.17, compared with a recent price of $74.53.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 7.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 688,931 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 48,174 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.18% of Blue Bird worth $39,118,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BLBD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Blue Bird by 7.1% in the 4th 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. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Blue Bird by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,048,028 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,257,000 after buying an additional 8,430 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 865,136 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,661,000 after buying an additional 109,668 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 777,625 shares of the company's stock worth $36,534,000 after buying an additional 84,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 769,204 shares of the company's stock worth $36,159,000 after buying an additional 3,120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company's stock.

Blue Bird Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD opened at $74.53 on Tuesday. Blue Bird Corporation has a twelve month low of $42.95 and a twelve month high of $83.39. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.41. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a PE ratio of 18.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.36.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $352.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on BLBD shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on 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 raised shares of Blue Bird from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $82.17.

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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