Vanguard Group Inc. Has $25.75 Million Stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 13.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,206,299 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 144,697 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 3.75% of Blue Bird worth $25,754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 11,290 shares of the company's stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 22,464 shares of the company's stock valued at $459,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 29,037 shares of the company's stock valued at $593,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 113.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 13,029 shares of the company's stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

BLBD traded down $0.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $36.03. 330,711 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 384,324. The stock has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $33.92 and a 200 day moving average of $26.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72. Blue Bird Co. has a 52 week low of $17.37 and a 52 week high of $39.01.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.52. The firm had revenue of $317.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $265.00 million. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 223.85% and a net margin of 5.04%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Blue Bird Co. will post 1.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BLBD shares. Barclays boosted their price target on Blue Bird from $25.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on Blue Bird from $26.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. StockNews.com downgraded Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, February 29th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $44.00 price target for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $34.58.

Blue Bird 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.