Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) Shares Purchased by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 765,490 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,262 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.38% of Blue Bird worth $29,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the third quarter worth about $26,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 75.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,420 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 610 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the fourth quarter valued at about $87,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Blue Bird during the fourth quarter worth $132,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the fourth quarter valued at about $137,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

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

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Blue Bird stock opened at $33.71 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38. Blue Bird Co. has a 52 week low of $30.04 and a 52 week high of $59.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $34.20 and a 200-day moving average of $38.62. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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%. On average, analysts expect that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BLBD. StockNews.com raised Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $58.21.

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.

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