5,940 Shares in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) Purchased by Navellier & Associates Inc.

Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $492,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Blue Bird by 95.9% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 52,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,504,000 after buying an additional 25,563 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Blue Bird by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 11,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $539,000 after buying an additional 1,534 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Blue Bird during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $987,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Blue Bird by 60.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 58,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,783,000 after buying an additional 21,919 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BLBD. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Blue Bird from $72.00 to $66.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. BTIG Research began coverage on Blue Bird in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Blue Bird from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Roth Mkm lowered Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $48.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Blue Bird from $43.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.14.

Blue Bird Stock Up 2.7 %

NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $41.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $44.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.59. Blue Bird Co. has a 52 week low of $17.79 and a 52 week high of $59.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 1.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Britton Smith sold 2,508 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.81, for a total value of $124,923.48. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 80,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,015,532.77. This trade represents a 3.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Phil Horlock sold 32,159 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.93, for a total value of $1,573,539.87. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 299,812 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,669,801.16. The trade was a 9.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.