Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) Shares Acquired by GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its holdings in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,729 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 640 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the second quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 414.2% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 256,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,836,000 after buying an additional 206,966 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Blue Bird by 26.0% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 12,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $651,000 after buying an additional 2,491 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning purchased a new position in Blue Bird during the second quarter worth $282,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the second quarter worth $5,719,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Blue Bird Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $35.62 on Monday. Blue Bird Co. has a fifty-two week low of $28.81 and a fifty-two week high of $59.40. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $40.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.37. The company has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.73. Blue Bird had a return on equity of 91.12% and a net margin of 7.83%. Analysts expect that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 19,171 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.89, for a total value of $822,244.19. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 89,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,832,092.83. This trade represents a 17.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BLBD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Blue Bird in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $66.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Craig Hallum raised their target price on shares of Blue Bird from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $63.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.64.

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.