Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Purchases New Stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 4,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sei Investments Co. acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,134,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 104.8% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 49,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,881,000 after buying an additional 25,102 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 33.4% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 63,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,435,000 after buying an additional 15,900 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 36.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,911,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,292,000 after buying an additional 505,727 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 2,177.4% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 55,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,122,000 after buying an additional 52,912 shares during the period. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Blue Bird Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $53.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 21.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 1.61. Blue Bird Co. has a 1 year low of $17.59 and a 1 year high of $59.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $49.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.32.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America raised their price objective on Blue Bird from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.