Whalen Wealth Management Inc. Takes Position in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Whalen Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $315,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter worth about $987,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Blue Bird by 34.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 308,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,784,000 after purchasing an additional 79,129 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Blue Bird by 60.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 58,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,783,000 after purchasing an additional 21,919 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Blue Bird by 95.9% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 52,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,504,000 after buying an additional 25,563 shares during the period. Finally, Algert Global LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 360.0% during the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 105,651 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,689,000 after buying an additional 82,681 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird Stock Down 2.1 %

Blue Bird stock opened at $41.17 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $40.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.98. Blue Bird Co. has a twelve month low of $26.47 and a twelve month high of $59.40.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BLBD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Blue Bird in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Craig Hallum boosted their target price on Blue Bird from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Roth Mkm lowered Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 19,171 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.89, for a total value of $822,244.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 89,347 shares in the company, valued at $3,832,092.83. This trade represents a 17.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.