Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Separately, Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.21.

Blue Bird Stock Down 5.3 %

BLBD traded down $1.79 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $31.92. 963,134 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 661,701. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Blue Bird has a 1-year low of $30.39 and a 1-year high of $59.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $35.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.05. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.88, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 75.22% and a net margin of 8.05%. Sell-side analysts predict that Blue Bird will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total value of $108,565.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blue Bird

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in Blue Bird during the third quarter worth about $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Company 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.