UBS Group AG Purchases 171,642 Shares of Blue Bird Corporation $BLBD

UBS Group AG increased its position in Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 161.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 277,796 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 171,642 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $13,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLBD. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 10,028.6% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 1,742.3% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 30.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter valued at $98,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 184.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BLBD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Freedom Capital cut shares of Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Blue Bird from $78.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Blue Bird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Zacks Research lowered Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Blue Bird from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.80.

Blue Bird Price Performance

NASDAQ BLBD opened at $72.45 on Friday. Blue Bird Corporation has a 1 year low of $37.68 and a 1 year high of $81.51. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $55.06. 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 company has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In other Blue Bird news, COO Jeffrey Scott Sanfrey sold 5,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.54, for a total value of $303,939.68. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 39,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,283,703.94. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 3,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.98, for a total value of $239,346.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 42,255 shares in the company, valued at $2,576,709.90. This trade represents a 8.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird 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.