Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC Raises Holdings in Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 3.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 447,430 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 16,765 shares during the quarter. Blue Bird makes up about 1.8% of Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC owned about 1.41% of Blue Bird worth $19,311,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BLBD. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Blue Bird by 1,394.9% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,619,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,423,000 after buying an additional 1,511,158 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 24.3% during the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,402,214 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,760,000 after acquiring an additional 468,936 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the first quarter valued at $8,298,000. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC increased its position in Blue Bird by 7,161.9% during the 1st quarter. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC now owns 231,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,152,000 after purchasing an additional 228,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Blue Bird during the 1st quarter worth about $5,888,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Monday, November 3rd. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $53.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.42.

Blue Bird Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ BLBD opened at $50.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.62. Blue Bird Corporation has a 12 month low of $30.04 and a 12 month high of $61.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a 50-day moving average of $54.79 and a 200-day moving average of $49.02.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Blue Bird news, Director Phil Horlock sold 13,000 shares of Blue Bird stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.02, for a total value of $767,260.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 240,766 shares in the company, valued at $14,210,009.32. This trade represents a 5.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 6,709 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.41, for a total value of $385,163.69. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 40,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,341,983.54. The trade was a 14.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Blue Bird Company Profile

Blue Bird Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells school buses in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Bus and Parts. It offers Type C, Type D, and specialty buses; and alternative power options through its propane powered, gasoline powered, compressed natural gas powered, and electric powered school buses, as well as diesel engines.