Squarepoint Ops LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 28.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 122,889 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 26,977 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.38% of Blue Bird worth $4,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in Blue Bird by 55.0% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in Blue Bird by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,420 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 610 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 4th quarter valued at about $87,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BLBD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $67.00 to $61.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Blue Bird from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $49.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $56.79.

Blue Bird Stock Down 1.0%

BLBD stock traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $38.79. 47,513 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 637,252. Blue Bird Co. has a 52 week low of $30.04 and a 52 week high of $59.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.43. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $36.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.51.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.01. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.05% and a return on equity of 75.22%. The firm had revenue of $358.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $348.23 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Blue Bird Company Profile

Blue Bird Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells school buses in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Bus and Parts. It offers Type C, Type D, and specialty buses; and alternative power options through its propane powered, gasoline powered, compressed natural gas powered, and electric powered school buses, as well as diesel engines.