Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Price Target Raised to $86.00 at Needham & Company LLC

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) had its price objective hoisted by Needham & Company LLC from $78.00 to $86.00 in a report published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

BLBD has been the subject of several other research reports. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.80.

Blue Bird Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $71.33. 235,339 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 424,001. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of 17.51, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $59.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.52. Blue Bird has a 12 month low of $36.43 and a 12 month high of $81.51.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $352.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.23 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 56.29%. Blue Bird’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Blue Bird will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 3,925 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.98, for a total transaction of $239,346.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 42,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,576,709.90. This represents a 8.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.54, for a total transaction of $303,939.68. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 39,011 shares in the company, valued at $2,283,703.94. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Blue Bird by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 775 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Blue Bird by 222.7% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Blue Bird by 10,028.6% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Blue Bird during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Blue Bird during the fourth quarter worth $63,000. 93.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Blue Bird News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Blue Bird this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat consensus: Blue Bird reported roughly $352.6M in revenue (above estimates) and delivered EPS that topped expectations, driving investor optimism. Official results and the company release provide the detail. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY‑2026 top‑line outlook: management updated fiscal 2026 revenue guidance to about $1.8B vs. street estimates nearer $1.5B, a material beat that supports higher valuation and growth expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts pushing targets higher: BTIG and Needham raised price targets and maintain buy ratings, giving the stock fresh broker support. Those revisions amplify buying interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management tone and presentation: the earnings call and slide deck stressed confident expansion and order momentum — useful context for modeling but not an immediate driver by itself. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and some earnings metrics mixed: gross profit was pressured by higher cost of sales and reported net income/EPS showed modest YoY softness in certain disclosures, a reminder of near‑term margin risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional flows mixed: recent insider sales and large institutional position reductions are noted in filings and data, which can cap upside if they continue. Read More.

Blue Bird Company Profile

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ: BLBD) is a leading manufacturer of buses and mass transportation vehicles headquartered in Fort Valley, Georgia. The company’s core business encompasses the design, engineering, and production of school buses and activity buses, with a product lineup that includes conventional (Type C) models, transit-style (Type D) models and specialty configurations for special-needs and activity transport. In recent years, Blue Bird has expanded its offerings to include zero-emission electric school buses, reflecting its commitment to advanced propulsion technologies and environmental sustainability.

Established in 1927, Blue Bird has built a legacy of safety and reliability in student transportation.