UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 37.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,254 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.16% of Blue Bird worth $2,009,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted 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 worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Blue Bird by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,262 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Blue Bird by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,420 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 44.1% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the period. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the fourth quarter worth about $87,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.59% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In related news, Director Phil Horlock sold 13,289 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.70, for a total transaction of $554,151.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 270,766 shares in the company, valued at $11,290,942.20. This trade represents a 4.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays decreased their target price on Blue Bird from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Blue Bird from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Blue Bird from $67.00 to $61.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $49.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.79.

Blue Bird Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD traded down $0.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $41.15. 347,331 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 634,651. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.74, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.44. Blue Bird Co. has a 52-week low of $30.04 and a 52-week high of $59.40. The company's 50-day moving average is $37.21 and its 200-day moving average is $37.55.

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