Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $30.41 and last traded at $31.92, with a volume of 963134 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.71.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BLBD shares. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Blue Bird presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.21.

Blue Bird Stock Up 1.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The business has a 50 day moving average of $34.99 and a 200 day moving average of $39.93.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Blue Bird

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of Blue Bird stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total value of $108,565.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,379,871.68. The trade was a 3.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blue Bird

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 36.5% in the 1st quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 81,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,634,000 after purchasing an additional 21,769 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Blue Bird by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,335,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,576,000 after acquiring an additional 160,248 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird during the fourth quarter worth about $3,411,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Blue Bird by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 52,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,009,000 after acquiring an additional 14,254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Blue Bird in the 4th quarter valued at $4,147,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.