Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

BLBD has been the topic of several other research reports. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.20.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Shares of Blue Bird stock opened at $59.21 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $50.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Blue Bird has a 1-year low of $30.04 and a 1-year high of $61.95.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 57.60% and a net margin of 8.65%.The business had revenue of $333.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $325.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. Blue Bird’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total value of $775,510.02. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at $11,363,911.70. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $402,313.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 49,087 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,493.93. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the third quarter worth about $38,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Blue Bird in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Blue Bird by 10,028.6% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 159.9% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 1,742.3% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — Blue Bird reported $1.00 EPS vs. ~$0.80 consensus and revenue ahead of estimates; management highlighted strong revenue growth and an expanding EV backlog, which supports upside to future electric school‑bus sales. Blue Bird Q1 Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades / price‑target increases — Needham raised its PT to $78 (buy) and BTIG reaffirmed a buy with a $65 PT; analyst optimism amplifies buying interest and supports a higher valuation. Needham PT Raise BTIG Reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction & coverage — Multiple outlets are reporting the strong Q1 and EV backlog narrative, and intraday volume is elevated versus average, indicating institutional or momentum-driven flows. MSN Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears to be invalid/zero in the latest release (shows 0 shares / NaN change), so there’s no clear short‑pressure signal to explain the move. This likely has little explanatory power until corrected.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/peer commentary — Recent pieces compare Blue Bird to other automotive/EV names (e.g., Tesla) and track relative performance vs. peers; useful context but not direct catalysts. BLBD vs TSLA Sector Performance

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.