Blue Bird recently faced downward revisions to earnings estimates and a Zacks Rank cut to #5 (Strong Sell), even as analysts still project year over year growth in upcoming results and expect higher revenue in the next q
Why BLBD Stock slipped -1.43% Today — RQD Quant Desk Flash
Blue Bird Corporation (BLBD) earns a Roarable Rating of A- (Buy) with 81/100 RQD Confidence. High-quality cash engine (21% profit margin, 85% return on capital) with steady institutional support. The company’s underlying cash engine and institutional positioning keep the composite score in the Green Buy zone.
Impersonal quantitative research (0–100 RQD rubric) — not individualized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full Disclaimer
SEC XBRL FY 2025 (10-K): 11.9% FCF Margin ($176.2M FCF) & 20.5% Gross Margin
SEC Form 4 / 13F Thermometer: 86% Net Buy • Cannibal Buyback (-3.20% YoY Shares)
Put hedging (50% put share) caps near-term gamma upside (-10 pts vs max)
⚔️ Adversarial Opposing Case: Why the BLBD Bull Thesis Could Fail
Even with a 81/100 (A-) score, BLBD faces multiple-compression risk if 13.8x trailing P/E re-rate toward historical sector medians or if hyperscaler/enterprise customer concentration slows in upcoming 10-Q filings.
Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.
Dilution & Margin Drag: Cannibal Buyback (-3.20% YoY Shares) — any gross margin slip below 18.0% triggers an automatic RQD downgrade.
Technical & Forensic Kill-Switch: A daily close below the 50D SMA ($58.62) or 200D SMA ($63.18) invalidates the momentum regime and cuts Target Base ($62.18) toward Bear Floor ($46.21).
Why BLBD Stock slipped -1.43% Today — RQD Quant Desk Flash
Blue Bird Corporation (BLBD) slipped -1.43% to $56.35, trading at 27% of its 52-week range ($46.14 – $83.39). High-quality cash engine (21% profit margin, 85% return on capital) with steady institutional support.
- ▸Technical Tape: Trading at 27% of its 52-week range ($46.14 – $83.39) with RSI-14 at 41.5 (NEUTRAL RANGE).
- ▸Volatility Profile: Historical 20-day realized swing band of ±6.6% around $56.35 (no active unusual options sweep snapshot on file).
- ▸Fundamental Anchor: Roarable A- (Buy) backed by 20.5% gross margin and $176.2M annual free cash flow.
Blue Bird (BLBD) moved into focus after Zacks shifted the stock to a Rank #5 Strong Sell, following almost 10% cuts to earnings estimates over the past month. Recent price action shows that momentum in Blue Bird has cool
Blue Bird has seen its stock climb sharply in recent years, and a fresh round of investment in its manufacturing footprint now puts the spotlight squarely on what buyers today are paying for its earnings. With the price
The average brokerage recommendation (ABR) for Blue Bird (BLBD) is equivalent to a Buy. The overly optimistic recommendations of Wall Street analysts make the effectiveness of this highly sought-after metric questionable
The latest trading day saw Blue Bird (BLBD) settling at $56.35, representing a -1.43% change from its previous close.
The Russell 2000 (^RUT) is packed with potential breakout stocks, thanks to its focus on smaller companies with high growth potential. However, smaller size also means these businesses often lack the resilience and finan
Oshkosh (OSK) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of -19.93% and -2.58%, respectively, for the quarter ended September 2026. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?
Blue Bird (BLBD) pairs solid growth and profitability with a low valuation, fitting the Affordable Growth strategy despite some balance-sheet risks.
In the most recent trading session, Blue Bird (BLBD) closed at $57.73, indicating a +1.76% shift from the previous trading day.
Five shippers are investing more than $1.6 billion in new or expanded U.S. facilities, adding production capacity for commercial trailers, school buses, cooling systems and bottled beverages. The post 5 US manufacturing
Scheduled RQD Strong Buys & Whale Accumulation Briefing (BLBD Tape Review)
- ✓Breakdown of the highest-scoring RQD Green-Light breakouts across our 5,200+ rated universe
- ✓Forensic Red-Light accounting & dilution traps to review on your watchlist
- ✓Includes downloadable .ics calendar invite & nightly RQD rating-change email alerts
BLBD Dilution Monitor, Expectations Hurdle, Butterfly Connections & Policy Exposure
Multi-year comparable XBRL diluted share count not disclosed (ETF or recent listing).
vs. +9.9% actual YoY revenue growth (assuming 9.25% cost of equity & 16.5x terminal multiple).
No active Ellis Vennor swing setup published on BLBD today. View full Setup Ledger →
No direct multi-tier Butterfly edges indexed yet for BLBD. Explore sector supply chains on /butterfly.
📊 Quantitative Sector Peer Comparison, SEC Filing Delta & Investment FAQ (BLBD)
1. Head-to-Head Consumer Discretionary Peer Comparison (BLBD vs. HYLN, MLR, SCAG, GP)
Industry: Construction/Ag Equipment/Trucks (14 Tracked Issuers)Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary securities in the Roarable RQD universe, Blue Bird Corporation (BLBD) ranks #20 by composite RQD confidence (81/100, grade A-) and #433 by equity capitalization ($1.77B). Within this direct 5-issuer industry benchmark cohort, BLBD leads on earnings valuation at 13.8x trailing P/E, while BLBD leads on capital efficiency and profitability with 85.0% ROIC and 20.5% gross margin. BLBD currently leads its immediate peer cohort in composite quantitative strength at 81/100 (A-).
| Ticker / Company | Roarable Grade | RQD Score | Trailing P/E | Gross Margin | ROIC | 1D Change | Market Cap | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLBD
ACTIVE
Blue Bird Corporation | A- | 81/100 | 13.8x | 20.5% | 85.0% | -1.43% | $1.77B | Benchmark Subject |
| HYLN Hyliion Holdings Corp. (Class A) | D- | 36/100 | — | 4.9% | -30.6% | +1.78% | $612.6M | /hyln-vs-blbd → |
| MLR Miller Industries Inc. | D+ | 58/100 | 25.7x | 15.2% | 5.5% | +0.75% | $591.8M | /mlr-vs-blbd → |
| SCAG Scage Future | D | 50/100 | — | -6.4% | — | +2.32% | $10.6M | /scag-vs-blbd → |
| GP GreenPower Motor Company Inc. | D | 47/100 | — | — | — | -8.46% | $2.5M | /gp-vs-blbd → |
2. Multi-Year SEC XBRL Revenue, Cash Flow & Balance-Sheet Trajectory (FY2023–FY2025)
SEC EDGAR 10-K • FILED 2025-09-27 • CIK 0001589526In its most recent audited fiscal period (FY2025, filed 2025-09-27), Blue Bird Corporation (BLBD) reported GAAP revenue of $1.48B (+9.9% vs. FY2024 revenue of $1.35B , and +30.7% cumulative change since FY2023) , GAAP net income of $127.7M, operating cash flow of $176.2M, and free cash flow of $176.2M (+58.6% YoY). On the balance sheet, BLBD closed FY2025 with $642.3M in total assets against $84.2M in total debt (Altman Z-Score: N/A, Piotroski F-Score: 8/9).
| Fiscal Period | Filing Date | Revenue | Net Income | Operating Cash Flow | Free Cash Flow | Total Assets | Total Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 (FY) | 2025-09-27 | $1.48B | $127.7M | $176.2M | $176.2M | $642.3M | $84.2M |
| FY2024 (FY) | 2024-09-28 | $1.35B | $105.5M | $111.1M | $111.1M | $535.2M | $88.8M |
| FY2023 (FY) | 2023-09-30 | $1.13B | $23.8M | $119.9M | $119.9M | — | — |
3. BLBD Data-Verified Investor FAQ (RQD Rating, Sector Peers, SEC Forensics & Technicals)
✓ SCHEMA.ORG FAQPAGE JSON-LD ENABLEDIs BLBD stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?
As of 2026-11-01, Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ: BLBD) is rated A- (Buy / BUY) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 81/100 at a spot price of $56.35 (-1.43% 1D, market cap $1.77B). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 19/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 10/20, Executive Insider Alignment 15/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 18/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 19/20. Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary issuers, BLBD ranks #20 in composite RQD confidence.
How does BLBD compare to HYLN and MLR in the Consumer Discretionary sector?
Within the Consumer Discretionary sector (Construction/Ag Equipment/Trucks), BLBD carries a Roarable A- (81/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 13.8x, gross margin of 20.5%, and ROIC of 85.0%. By comparison, HYLN (Hyliion Holdings Corp. (Class A)) holds a D- grade (36/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC -30.6%, cap $612.6M) and MLR (Miller Industries Inc.) posts a D+ grade (58/100 RQD, P/E 25.7x, ROIC 5.5%, cap $591.8M). Among the 5-stock peer group, BLBD leads on earnings multiple (13.8x) while BLBD leads on capital efficiency (85.0% ROIC).
What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for BLBD?
Per BLBD's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-09-27, CIK 0001589526), Blue Bird Corporation generated $1.48B in revenue (+9.9% YoY), $127.7M in net income, and $176.2M in free cash flow against $642.3M in total assets and $84.2M in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Strong cash generator (21% profit margin)—profits are backed by real money, not accounting tricks.. Primary risk factors monitored: Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.
Where is BLBD trading relative to its 50-day, 200-day, and 52-week technical levels?
BLBD last traded at $56.35 (-1.43% on volume of 403,369 shares), positioning the stock -3.87% below its 50-day simple moving average ($58.62) and -10.81% below its 200-day simple moving average ($63.18). Across its 52-week range of $46.14 to $83.39, BLBD sits at the 27.4% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 41.5 (NEUTRAL RANGE) and an implied next-earnings move of ±6.6% ($52.63 to $60.07).
BLBD Investor FAQ & Complete 8-Part Research Index
100% OPEN ACCESS • SEC EDGAR × CBOE × FREDWhy is BLBD stock moving today?
Why BLBD Stock slipped -1.43% Today — RQD Quant Desk Flash. High-quality cash engine (21% profit margin, 85% return on capital) with steady institutional support.