Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $2.33 Million Position in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 53.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 60,266 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68,273 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.19% of Blue Bird worth $2,328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLBD. Freedom Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $327,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd increased its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 14,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $547,000 after buying an additional 3,026 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 42.7% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 11,754 shares of the company’s stock worth $454,000 after acquiring an additional 3,519 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EVR Research LP lifted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 173.3% in the fourth quarter. EVR Research LP now owns 410,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,838,000 after acquiring an additional 260,000 shares during the period. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of BLBD opened at $33.71 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $34.14 and a 200-day moving average of $38.46. Blue Bird Co. has a one year low of $30.04 and a one year high of $59.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 10.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 75.22% and a net margin of 8.05%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of Blue Bird stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total transaction of $108,565.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,379,871.68. The trade was a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.21.

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.