Ruffer LLP Purchases New Stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Ruffer LLP acquired a new stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 72,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,790,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BLBD. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 4,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in Blue Bird by 9.3% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 8,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 13.5% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 5,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BLBD has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Craig Hallum raised their target price on Blue Bird from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $63.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.21.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $33.92 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $37.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.58. Blue Bird Co. has a 12-month low of $30.67 and a 12-month high of $59.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.05% and a return on equity of 75.22%. Equities research analysts forecast that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of Blue Bird stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total value of $108,565.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,379,871.68. The trade was a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by 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.