Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $10.29 Million Stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Renaissance Technologies LLC trimmed its position in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 44.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 266,462 shares of the company's stock after selling 215,659 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.83% of Blue Bird worth $10,293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Blue Bird by 162.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,840,198 shares of the company's stock worth $186,977,000 after acquiring an additional 2,998,453 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Blue Bird by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 59,365 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,293,000 after purchasing an additional 2,357 shares during the period. Aviva PLC increased its stake in Blue Bird by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 14,768 shares of the company's stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 1,740 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Blue Bird during the 4th quarter worth approximately $346,000. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new position in Blue Bird in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,947,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company's stock.

Blue Bird Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD traded up $0.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $33.71. The company had a trading volume of 888,297 shares, compared to its average volume of 666,668. Blue Bird Co. has a 1-year low of $30.04 and a 1-year high of $59.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm's 50 day moving average is $34.14 and its 200-day moving average is $38.54. The stock has a market capitalization 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 (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. 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 research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised Blue Bird from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Two 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $58.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,664 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,379,871.68. The trade was a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.