Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) Shares Bought by Inspire Investing LLC

Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 20.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 10,394 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,786 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $402,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Blue Bird during the 4th quarter worth approximately $315,000. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in Blue Bird in the fourth quarter valued at $262,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its position in shares of Blue Bird by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 34,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 7,772 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Blue Bird by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 263,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,175,000 after purchasing an additional 16,900 shares during the period. Finally, Insight Wealth Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 31.3% in the 4th quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 59,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,303,000 after purchasing an additional 14,225 shares in the last quarter. 93.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Blue Bird Stock Down 3.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BLBD opened at $37.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.58. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.84. Blue Bird Co. has a 52-week low of $27.36 and a 52-week high of $59.40. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.73. Blue Bird had a net margin of 7.83% and a return on equity of 91.12%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 19,171 shares of Blue Bird stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 89,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,832,092.83. The trade was a 17.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on BLBD. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 target price on shares of Blue Bird in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $63.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. BTIG Research began coverage on Blue Bird in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Roth Mkm downgraded Blue Bird from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $48.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Blue Bird presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.64.

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.