Teacher Retirement System of Texas Trims Stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its position in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD - Free Report) by 25.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 135,864 shares of the company's stock after selling 45,720 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned approximately 0.42% of Blue Bird worth $5,248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in Blue Bird during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,420 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 610 shares during the period. Finally, Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $33.96. 341,440 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 648,425. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $36.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.58. Blue Bird Co. has a 12 month low of $30.67 and a 12 month 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.

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Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 75.22% and a net margin of 8.05%. On average, equities analysts expect that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on BLBD shares. StockNews.com cut Blue Bird from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $58.21.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 $3,379,871.68. This represents a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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.