Hodges Capital Management Inc. Sells 14,925 Shares of Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Hodges Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,630 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,925 shares during the period. Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $2,626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 29,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,719,000 after acquiring an additional 5,713 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 185.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 925,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,283,000 after purchasing an additional 601,690 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 0.7% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 67,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,856,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the third quarter worth $98,000. Finally, Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the third quarter worth $201,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research 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. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.20.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Shares of Blue Bird stock opened at $59.99 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.31. The firm has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Blue Bird Corporation has a 12-month low of $30.04 and a 12-month high of $61.95.

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