Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $63.42 and last traded at $63.3050, with a volume of 141846 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $61.27.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.20.

Blue Bird Trading Up 3.4%

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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $56.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.40.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 57.60%. The firm had revenue of $333.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $325.74 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Blue Bird Corporation will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 3,925 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 42,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,576,709.90. This trade represents a 8.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.54, for a total transaction of $303,939.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 39,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,283,703.94. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $618,000 after acquiring an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 30.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 2,090.5% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 3,303 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 12.5% during the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 12,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the second quarter worth $3,799,000. 93.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.