Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $3.22 Million Position in Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 36.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,625 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,062 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $3,216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 210.0% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 222.7% in 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 during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Blue Bird by 10,028.6% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Blue Bird during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Blue Bird during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. 93.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

BLBD stock opened at $72.32 on Thursday. Blue Bird Corporation has a 1-year low of $42.95 and a 1-year high of $83.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $74.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.87. The firm has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 17.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.35.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $352.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.23 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 53.68%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.96 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Blue Bird Corporation will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BLBD shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of Blue Bird from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Blue Bird from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Freedom Capital lowered Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Blue Bird has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $82.17.

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.