Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Shares Cross Above 50-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) shares crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $50.97 and traded as high as $58.07. Blue Bird shares last traded at $57.59, with a volume of 425,009 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on BLBD. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research raised Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays boosted their target price on Blue Bird from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Blue Bird from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.20.

Blue Bird Trading Up 4.2%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.31.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $333.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.74 million. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 57.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Blue Bird Corporation will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Blue Bird

In other news, Director Phil Horlock sold 15,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total transaction of $775,510.02. Following the sale, the director directly owned 225,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,363,911.70. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 7,984 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total transaction of $402,313.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 49,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,473,493.93. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blue Bird

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Blue Bird in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Blue Bird by 222.7% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Blue Bird by 10,028.6% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Blue Bird during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Blue Bird

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.