Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Freedom Capital cut Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research upped their price target on Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Blue Bird from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.80.

Blue Bird Stock Down 1.5%

NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $69.33 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $59.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Blue Bird has a 1-year low of $37.68 and a 1-year high of $81.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.38.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.12. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 53.68% and a net margin of 8.91%.The firm had revenue of $352.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Blue Bird will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

In related news, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.54, for a total transaction of $303,939.68. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 39,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,283,703.94. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 3,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.98, for a total value of $239,346.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 42,255 shares in the company, valued at $2,576,709.90. The trade was a 8.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Blue Bird

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BLBD. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Blue Bird by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 5,208 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 0.7% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 67,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,856,000 after buying an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

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.