Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Separately, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.21.

Blue Bird Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD opened at $32.43 on Thursday. Blue Bird has a 52-week low of $30.04 and a 52-week high of $59.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.44. The business has a fifty day moving average of $34.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.93. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 10.04, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Insider Activity

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total transaction of $108,565.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,379,871.68. This trade represents a 3.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BLBD. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 36.5% during the first quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 81,379 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,634,000 after purchasing an additional 21,769 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Blue Bird by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,335,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,576,000 after buying an additional 160,248 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Blue Bird during the 4th quarter worth $3,411,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Blue Bird by 37.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 52,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,009,000 after acquiring an additional 14,254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Blue Bird in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,147,000. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

About Blue Bird

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.