PDT Partners LLC Acquires New Stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

PDT Partners LLC bought a new stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 59,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,309,000. PDT Partners LLC owned about 0.19% of Blue Bird at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of BLBD. FMR LLC boosted its position in Blue Bird by 162.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,840,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,977,000 after acquiring an additional 2,998,453 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 355.3% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 883,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,126,000 after purchasing an additional 689,394 shares during the period. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 540.2% during the fourth quarter. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC now owns 540,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,877,000 after purchasing an additional 456,015 shares during the last quarter. EVR Research LP grew its position 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 valued at $15,838,000 after purchasing an additional 260,000 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in Blue Bird in the fourth quarter valued at $9,746,000. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BLBD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Blue Bird from $67.00 to $61.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.36.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total transaction of $108,565.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,379,871.68. The trade was a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of BLBD stock opened at $35.35 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Blue Bird Co. has a fifty-two week low of $30.04 and a fifty-two week high of $59.40. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $34.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.11. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.05% and a return on equity of 75.22%. On average, analysts anticipate that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

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.