Blue Bird's (BLBD) "Buy" Rating Reiterated at Roth Mkm

Roth Mkm reiterated their buy rating on shares of Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) in a report issued on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. Roth Mkm currently has a $40.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $35.00.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. They set a buy rating and a $44.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $25.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $35.42.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of Blue Bird stock traded up $2.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $36.29. The company had a trading volume of 326,228 shares, compared to its average volume of 511,680. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $34.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.05. The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Blue Bird has a 1-year low of $17.43 and a 1-year high of $39.01.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $317.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $265.00 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 223.85%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Blue Bird will post 1.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Blue Bird

In related news, President Britton Smith sold 6,228 shares of Blue Bird stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.49, for a total value of $208,575.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 87,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,922,002.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Blue Bird news, CEO Phil Horlock sold 75,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.00, for a total transaction of $2,325,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 374,812 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,619,172. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, President Britton Smith sold 6,228 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.49, for a total value of $208,575.72. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 87,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,922,002.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,257,597 shares of company stock valued at $139,735,973 over the last ninety days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLBD. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 220.1% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,290 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 4th quarter worth about $66,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 568.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 3,792 shares of the company's stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 3,225 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 4th quarter worth about $89,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth about $205,000. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Blue Bird

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.