Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Hold Rating

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. DA Davidson set a $86.00 target price on Blue Bird in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Freedom Capital downgraded Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Roth Capital started coverage on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, June 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $94.00 target price for the company. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.50.

Blue Bird Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of Blue Bird stock opened at $78.07 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Blue Bird has a 52-week low of $42.00 and a 52-week high of $81.51. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $71.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.89.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $352.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.23 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 53.68%. The company’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Blue Bird will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 83,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,925,000 after purchasing an additional 16,501 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Blue Bird by 279.7% during the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 15,867 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in Blue Bird by 161.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 277,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,056,000 after acquiring an additional 171,642 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter valued at about $10,932,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,041,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,931,000 after purchasing an additional 135,562 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.