Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on BLBD. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $43.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Roth Mkm downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.00.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Shares of BLBD opened at $42.11 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.60. The company’s 50-day moving average is $46.99 and its 200-day moving average is $47.96. Blue Bird has a fifty-two week low of $17.59 and a fifty-two week high of $59.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.42. Blue Bird had a net margin of 7.65% and a return on equity of 116.23%. The business had revenue of $333.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $330.00 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 3.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Ted Scartz sold 2,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.60, for a total value of $145,071.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 51,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,520,541.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Phil Horlock sold 32,159 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.93, for a total value of $1,573,539.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 299,812 shares in the company, valued at $14,669,801.16. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Ted Scartz sold 2,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.60, for a total transaction of $145,071.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 51,863 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,520,541.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 56,240 shares of company stock worth $2,725,146. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLBD. Covestor Ltd bought a new position in Blue Bird in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Macroview Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Blue Bird in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 43.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 1,227.7% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

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.