Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $80.50.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research downgraded Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research increased their price target on Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Roth Mkm started coverage on Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, June 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price target on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 83,508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,925,000 after purchasing an additional 16,501 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Blue Bird by 279.7% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 15,867 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 161.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 277,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,056,000 after buying an additional 171,642 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth about $10,932,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,041,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,931,000 after buying an additional 135,562 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Blue Bird stock opened at $77.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Blue Bird has a 12 month low of $42.00 and a 12 month high of $81.51. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $70.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.96. The company has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.35.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.12. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 53.68%. The company had revenue of $352.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $335.23 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Blue Bird will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

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.