Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group increased its Blue Bird stake by 279.7% in Q4, ending with 21,540 shares valued at about $1.0 million.
• Blue Bird saw mixed institutional and insider activity: several hedge funds increased holdings, while COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares in March.
• The stock has a Moderate Buy analyst rating overall, with a consensus price target of $75.80; Blue Bird also recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 279.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,540 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 15,867 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Blue Bird worth $1,012,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in 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 buying an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 681 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the third quarter worth $98,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 184.0% during 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.59% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In related news, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of Blue Bird stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.54, for a total value of $303,939.68. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 39,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,283,703.94. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research increased their price target on Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research cut Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.80.

Blue Bird Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $70.19 on Friday. Blue Bird Corporation has a 12-month low of $37.68 and a 12-month high of $81.51. The company has a market capitalization of $2.22 billion, a PE ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a 50 day moving average of $63.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.25. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $352.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.23 million. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 53.68% and a net margin of 8.91%.Blue Bird's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.35 EPS for the current 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.

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.