Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 68,273 Shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. decreased its position in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 53.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 60,266 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68,273 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $2,328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Blue Bird by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the fourth quarter worth $87,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the fourth quarter worth $132,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the fourth quarter valued at $137,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total transaction of $108,565.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,379,871.68. This trade represents a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Stock Up 1.4 %

BLBD stock opened at $33.71 on Monday. Blue Bird Co. has a 1-year low of $30.04 and a 1-year high of $59.40. The stock has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company’s 50 day moving average is $34.14 and its 200 day moving average is $38.46.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.05% and a return on equity of 75.22%. Sell-side analysts predict that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BLBD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.21.

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.