Wall Street Zen Downgrades Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) to Hold

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

BLBD has been the topic of several other reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $86.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Barclays increased their price target on Blue Bird from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Blue Bird from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Blue Bird from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $93.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Monday, August 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $85.33.

Blue Bird Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $63.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 7.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Blue Bird has a 1 year low of $46.14 and a 1 year high of $83.39.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a net margin of 17.48% and a return on equity of 39.97%. The firm had revenue of $517.16 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $485.73 million. Analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blue Bird

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BLBD. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Blue Bird by 210.0% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 775 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the period. Nykredit A S bought a new position in Blue Bird in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Dunhill Financial LLC purchased a new position in Blue Bird during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Blue Bird by 222.7% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Blue Bird Company Profile

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.