Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Receives Buy Rating from BTIG Research

BTIG Research reiterated their buy rating on shares of Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $65.00 price target on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays upped their price target on Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.20.

Blue Bird Stock Up 11.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $55.54 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a 50 day moving average of $50.07 and a 200-day moving average of $52.47. Blue Bird has a one year low of $30.04 and a one year high of $61.95.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $333.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.74 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 60.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $402,313.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 49,087 shares in the company, valued at $2,473,493.93. This represents a 13.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total transaction of $775,510.02. Following the sale, the director owned 225,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,363,911.70. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BLBD. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in Blue Bird in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 10,028.6% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 159.9% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Blue Bird by 1,742.3% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares during the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blue Bird News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Blue Bird this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat Street expectations: Blue Bird reported $1.00 EPS vs. $0.80 consensus and revenue of ~$333.1M (above estimates), with improving margins and high ROE — a core reason shares are rising. Earnings Release & Materials
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted strong revenue growth and an expanding electric?vehicle (EV) backlog on the earnings call — reinforcing revenue visibility in EV and fleet replacement markets. Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target to $78 (buy), signaling more upside from current levels and adding buy?side momentum. Needham PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $65 target, contributing to consensus positive sentiment from analysts. BTIG Reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released slides, transcript and presentation materials from the Q1 call (useful for modeling forward revenue and EV backlog timing). Earnings Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management updated FY2026 guidance in the release, but the public note looked garbled in some feeds — investors should review the formal press release/slides for clarified EPS and revenue guidance. Conference Materials
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider and institutional selling was reported (multiple executive share disposals and large fund reductions by firms like American Century and FMR), which could limit upside if it persists. Quiver Quantitative Overview
• Negative Sentiment: Operating cash flow slipped year?over?year (reported decline in cash from operations) and total liabilities increased — items investors should watch for potential short?term cash conversion pressure. Balance Sheet Details

About Blue Bird

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ: BLBD) is a leading manufacturer of buses and mass transportation vehicles headquartered in Fort Valley, Georgia. The company’s core business encompasses the design, engineering, and production of school buses and activity buses, with a product lineup that includes conventional (Type C) models, transit-style (Type D) models and specialty configurations for special-needs and activity transport. In recent years, Blue Bird has expanded its offerings to include zero-emission electric school buses, reflecting its commitment to advanced propulsion technologies and environmental sustainability.

Established in 1927, Blue Bird has built a legacy of safety and reliability in student transportation.