Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) Shares Sold by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 34.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 214,629 shares of the company’s stock after selling 113,248 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.66% of Blue Bird worth $11,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLBD. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the first quarter valued at about $83,817,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,911,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,292,000 after buying an additional 505,727 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Blue Bird by 279.5% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 415,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,587,000 after buying an additional 305,868 shares during the last quarter. Brightline Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Blue Bird during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,279,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 81.7% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 509,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,432,000 after acquiring an additional 229,004 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, President Britton Smith sold 2,508 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.81, for a total transaction of $124,923.48. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 80,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,015,532.77. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Phil Horlock sold 32,159 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.93, for a total transaction of $1,573,539.87. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 299,812 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,669,801.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Britton Smith sold 2,508 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.81, for a total transaction of $124,923.48. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 80,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,015,532.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 61,240 shares of company stock valued at $2,960,546 over the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

NASDAQ BLBD opened at $46.10 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business’s 50 day moving average is $49.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.66, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.61. Blue Bird Co. has a 12-month low of $17.59 and a 12-month high of $59.40.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $333.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $330.00 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 7.65% and a return on equity of 116.23%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.42 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.22 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on BLBD. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $43.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 price target on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.17.

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.