KBC Group NV Has $55,000 Holdings in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD)

KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Blue Bird Co. (NASDAQ:BLBD) by 75.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,420 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 610 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Blue Bird were worth $55,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BLBD. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird in the 3rd quarter valued at $987,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Blue Bird by 60.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 58,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,783,000 after purchasing an additional 21,919 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Blue Bird by 34.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 308,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,784,000 after buying an additional 79,129 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Blue Bird by 95.9% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Encompass More Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Blue Bird during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,376,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Blue Bird Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ BLBD opened at $38.31 on Tuesday. Blue Bird Co. has a 1 year low of $29.78 and a 1 year high of $59.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $39.94 and its 200-day moving average is $43.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 11.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.56.

Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.03. Blue Bird had a net margin of 8.05% and a return on equity of 75.22%. Equities analysts expect that Blue Bird Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BLBD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Craig Hallum boosted their target price on Blue Bird from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Blue Bird from $66.00 to $63.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Blue Bird from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Blue Bird has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Razvan Radulescu sold 19,171 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,832,092.83. This represents a 17.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.