Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Makes New Investment in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 34,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,345,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 0.11% of Blue Bird at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 37.3% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 16,604 shares of the company's stock valued at $796,000 after purchasing an additional 4,515 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 357.6% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 57,655 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,764,000 after acquiring an additional 45,055 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,599,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 725,573 shares of the company's stock worth $34,798,000 after acquiring an additional 56,449 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

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

Remove Ads

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of Blue Bird stock traded up $0.54 during trading on Friday, hitting $34.19. 540,403 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 666,266. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $34.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38. Blue Bird Co. has a 1-year low of $30.04 and a 1-year high of $59.40.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 75.22% and a net margin of 8.05%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $58.21.

Blue Bird 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.