Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Trading Up 4.7% - Still a Buy?

Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 4.7% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $43.28 and last traded at $43.24. Approximately 108,925 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 572,785 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.28.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BLBD shares. Roth Capital lowered Blue Bird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Roth Mkm lowered 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. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.00.

Blue Bird Stock Up 4.4 %

The company has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.50, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.60. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $48.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.40.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

In other news, President Britton Smith sold 2,508 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total value of $120,384.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 83,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,990,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Blue Bird news, CEO Phil Horlock sold 16,080 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.34, for a total value of $761,227.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 331,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,715,507.14. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Britton Smith sold 2,508 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total transaction of $120,384.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 83,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,990,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 56,240 shares of company stock worth $2,725,146. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BLBD. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Blue Bird by 57.0% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,067 shares of the company's stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,840 shares in the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,177,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the second quarter valued at about $5,719,000. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Blue Bird by 43.9% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,174 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning bought a new position in Blue Bird in the second quarter worth about $282,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.