Brokerages Set Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) Price Target at $60.64

Shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $60.64.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Roth Mkm downgraded Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. StockNews.com raised Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $66.00 to $63.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on Blue Bird from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Blue Bird Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $41.17 on Friday. Blue Bird has a 12-month low of $26.47 and a 12-month high of $59.40. The company has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of 12.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $40.59 and a 200 day moving average of $44.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73. Blue Bird had a net margin of 7.83% and a return on equity of 91.12%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Blue Bird will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 19,171 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.89, for a total transaction of $822,244.19. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,832,092.83. This represents a 17.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 11.7% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 43,121 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,322,000 after buying an additional 4,528 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Blue Bird by 18.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 84,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,544,000 after purchasing an additional 13,207 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 30.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 323,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,405,000 after purchasing an additional 76,036 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 81.7% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 509,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,432,000 after purchasing an additional 229,004 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the second quarter valued at $113,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.