Stifel Financial Corp Invests $1.60 Million in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Stifel Financial Corp bought a new position in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 33,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,599,000. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.10% of Blue Bird as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in Blue Bird by 18.1% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 92,674 shares of the company's stock worth $4,990,000 after acquiring an additional 14,186 shares in the last quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 72.4% in the 2nd quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 50,771 shares of the company's stock worth $2,734,000 after purchasing an additional 21,319 shares in the last quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 2nd quarter valued at about $940,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 39.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 107,541 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,791,000 after buying an additional 30,667 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Blue Bird in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $364,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.59% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 19,171 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.89, for a total value of $822,244.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,832,092.83. This represents a 17.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Blue Bird Trading Down 3.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD traded down $1.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $39.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 929,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 630,488. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.20. The stock has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.37. Blue Bird Co. has a 12 month low of $24.08 and a 12 month high of $59.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on BLBD shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Blue Bird from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Craig Hallum increased their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $63.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Roth Mkm cut Blue Bird from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $48.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on Blue Bird in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $60.64.

About Blue Bird

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.