Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 73,651 Shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

Alliancebernstein L.P. trimmed its holdings in shares of Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 824,298 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73,651 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $31,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BLBD. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. KBC Group NV grew 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 acquiring an additional 610 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 4,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Blue Bird by 14.9% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centiva Capital LP lifted its position in Blue Bird by 7.8% during the third quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 10,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $523,000 after purchasing an additional 792 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.59% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of 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 Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Two equities research 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 price target of $58.21.

Blue Bird Price Performance

NASDAQ BLBD opened at $32.43 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.44. The business’s fifty day moving average is $34.99 and its 200 day moving average is $39.78. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 10.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38. Blue Bird Co. has a fifty-two week low of $29.75 and a fifty-two week high of $59.40.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Blue Bird news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 2,848 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.12, for a total value of $108,565.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,379,871.68. This represents a 3.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Blue Bird 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.