Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) Shares Sold by Rice Hall James & Associates LLC

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC decreased its position in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 146,687 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,332 shares during the quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $7,035,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sei Investments Co. acquired a new position in Blue Bird in the 1st quarter worth $2,134,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Blue Bird by 104.8% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 49,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,881,000 after purchasing an additional 25,102 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in Blue Bird by 33.4% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 63,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,435,000 after purchasing an additional 15,900 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Blue Bird by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,911,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,292,000 after purchasing an additional 505,727 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $4,000,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

Shares of BLBD stock opened at $42.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average of $46.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.96. The company has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.60. Blue Bird Co. has a 52 week low of $17.59 and a 52 week high of $59.40.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $333.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $330.00 million. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 116.23% and a net margin of 7.65%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.22 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BLBD shares. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Roth Mkm lowered shares of Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $48.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Blue Bird from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Blue Bird from $43.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Britton Smith sold 2,508 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.81, for a total value of $124,923.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 80,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,015,532.77. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Phil Horlock sold 16,080 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.34, for a total value of $761,227.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 331,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,715,507.14. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Britton Smith sold 2,508 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.81, for a total transaction of $124,923.48. Following the transaction, the president now owns 80,617 shares in the company, valued at $4,015,532.77. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 56,240 shares of company stock worth $2,725,146. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

About Blue Bird

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.