Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $62.55 and last traded at $61.0550, with a volume of 51366 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.99.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on BLBD shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays boosted their price target on Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.20.

Blue Bird Stock Up 0.8%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $51.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

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 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 firm had revenue of $333.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.74 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Blue Bird Corporation will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total value of $775,510.02. Following the transaction, the director owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,363,911.70. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 3,925 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.98, for a total value of $239,346.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 42,255 shares in the company, valued at $2,576,709.90. The trade was a 8.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 27,290 shares of company stock valued at $1,417,170 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BLBD. PFG Advisors boosted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 9,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 0.7% during the second quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 40,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,732,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Redmond Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Redmond Asset Management LLC now owns 34,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,483,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in Blue Bird by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 5,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.