Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Sells 15,850 Shares of Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Key Points

• Gamco Investors cut its Blue Bird stake by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 15,850 shares and leaving it with 72,900 shares valued at about $3.43 million.
• Blue Bird’s recent earnings beat expectations, reporting $1.00 EPS versus the $0.88 consensus and revenue of $352.64 million, while analysts now largely rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a $75.80 consensus target.
• Insider selling and mixed analyst actions were also notable, as COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares, while several firms raised price targets even as Zacks Research downgraded the stock to Strong Sell.

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL reduced its stake in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 72,900 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,850 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned approximately 0.23% of Blue Bird worth $3,426,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Activity

In other Blue Bird news, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the business'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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 39,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,283,703.94. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BLBD has been the subject of several recent research reports. BTIG Research boosted their price target 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. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.80.

Blue Bird Price Performance

BLBD stock opened at $65.30 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $61.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.52. Blue Bird Corporation has a 12-month low of $37.68 and a 12-month high of $81.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.04, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.12. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 53.68%. The firm had revenue of $352.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $335.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.96 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.35 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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