Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC Acquires New Position in Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 647,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,129,758. Blue Bird comprises about 0.0% of Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC owned about 2.04% of Blue Bird as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the 2nd quarter worth $207,493,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,041,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,931,000 after buying an additional 135,562 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Blue Bird by 41.8% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,102,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,669,000 after acquiring an additional 324,710 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,048,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,257,000 after purchasing an additional 8,430 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 865,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,661,000 after buying an additional 109,668 shares during the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blue Bird Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD traded down $0.56 during trading on Friday, reaching $59.34. The stock had a trading volume of 201,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 463,344. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $72.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.18. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.22, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.36. Blue Bird Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $46.14 and a fifty-two week high of $83.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 39.97% and a net margin of 17.48%.The business had revenue of $517.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $485.73 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Roth Capital set a $93.00 price objective on Blue Bird in a report on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research upgraded Blue Bird from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays raised their price objective on Blue Bird from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $86.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on Blue Bird from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $85.33.

About Blue Bird

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.