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

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) 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 Friday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm cut Blue Bird from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $48.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of 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 reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $72.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Roth Capital downgraded shares of Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.00.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of BLBD stock traded up $0.25 during trading on Friday, reaching $41.54. 701,684 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 599,239. Blue Bird has a twelve month low of $17.65 and a twelve month high of $59.40. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $46.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.62.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.42. Blue Bird had a net margin of 7.65% and a return on equity of 116.23%. The firm had revenue of $333.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $330.00 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Blue Bird will post 3.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Ted Scartz sold 2,985 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.60, for a total transaction of $145,071.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 51,863 shares in the company, valued at $2,520,541.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Blue Bird news, SVP Ted Scartz sold 2,985 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.60, for a total value of $145,071.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 51,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,520,541.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Britton Smith sold 2,508 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $4,015,532.77. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 56,240 shares of company stock worth $2,725,146. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLBD. Sei Investments Co. bought a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,134,000. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 33.4% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 63,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,435,000 after acquiring an additional 15,900 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $73,292,000 after acquiring an additional 505,727 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Blue Bird in the first quarter worth $4,000,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC increased its stake in Blue Bird by 360.0% in the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 105,651 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,689,000 after purchasing an additional 82,681 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% 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.