Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Stock Price Down 4.6% – Here’s Why

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD)’s stock price fell 4.6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $48.08 and last traded at $47.80. 238,045 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 521,055 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.09.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.60.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $51.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.74.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.35. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 62.87% and a net margin of 8.63%.The company had revenue of $409.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.37 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Blue Bird Corporation will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Blue Bird news, 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 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. This trade represents a 13.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of Blue Bird 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 transaction, the director directly owned 225,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,363,911.70. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BLBD. PFG Advisors raised its stake in Blue Bird by 2.6% in the second quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 9,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 40,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,732,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the period. Redmond Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Redmond Asset Management LLC now owns 34,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,483,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 67,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,856,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the period. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

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.