The stock market is practically at all-time highs with AI leading the way. Many of these companies have become household names now and are up 50-100% in just the past year. The problem with many of these big companies is that they have likely already seen much of the big moves to come. This leaves investors in a position where they missed the rally and are trying to buy in at overvalued prices. But these companies aren’t the only ones worth investing in. The market is full of many companies that most people ...

Electric vehicle (EV) stocks took a hit in Q4 of 2023 as the long-term outlook for EV demand decreased. Many stocks that surged over the past three years now face price corrections as consumer values change. Despite the environmental benefits of EVs, most consumers lack access to robust charging networks that would make owning an EV practical.As such, EV companies, which seemed like the future of personal transportation, are now struggling to increase sales. A few EV stocks are still showing promise, howeve ...

DutchSceneryA lot of times with common durable goods, we just take them for granted and don’t ask where they come from, who made them, or what the business surrounding that manufacture looks like. A prime example of this is school buses. Today we’ll be looking at a long-time school bus manufacturer, Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD). A bus-maker since the 1930’s, the modern incarnation of Blue Bird is in the process of reinventing its industry, long making the old-fashioned belchers of diesel smoke an ...

MACON, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blue Bird Corporation (“Blue Bird” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BLBD), a leader in electric and low-emission school buses, announced today that an affiliate of American Securities LLC (the “Selling Stockholder”) intends to offer 4,042,650 shares of Blue Bird’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), pursuant to a shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The offering consists entirely of secondary shares to ...

BLUE BIRD CORPORATION (NASDAQ: BLBD) Earnings Conference Call February 7, 2024 Introductions & Forward-Looking Statements Key Results and Highlights Phil Horlock CEO Outlook Phil Horlock CEO This presentation includes forward-looking statements, including statements regarding full-year guidance and seasonality, that are subject to risks that could cause actual results to be materially different. Those risks include, among others, matters we have noted in our latest earnings release and filings with the SEC. ...

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD) Q1 2024 Results Earnings Conference Call February 7, 2024 4:30 PM ET Company Participants Mark Benfield - Head of Invest Relations Phil Horlock - Chief Executive Officer Razvan Radulescu - Chief Financial Officer Conference Call Participants Michael Shlisky - D.A. Davidson & Co. Eric Stine - Craig-Hallum Craig Irwin - ROTH-MKM Operator Hello, all. And welcome to the Blue Bird Corporation Fiscal 2024 First Quarter Earnings. My name is Lydia, and I'll be your operator today ...

Financial Performance - Total net sales for the three months ended December 30, 2023, were $317.66 million, a 34.7% increase from $235.73 million for the same period in 2022[106]. - Gross profit for the three months ended December 30, 2023, was $63.56 million, compared to $7.46 million for the same period in 2022, indicating a significant improvement[113]. - Operating profit for the three months ended December 30, 2023, was $37.96 million, a turnaround from an operating loss of $9.38 million in the same period last year[113]. - Net income for the three months ended December 30, 2023, was $26.15 million, compared to a net loss of $11.29 million for the same period in 2022[113]. - Shipping and handling revenues increased to $4.7 million for the three months ended December 30, 2023, up from $4.3 million in the same period of 2022[101]. Debt and Financing - Blue Bird executed a $250 million five-year credit agreement with Bank of Montreal, including a $100 million term loan facility and a $150 million revolving credit facility[80][81]. - As of December 30, 2023, the company had $98.5 million in term loan borrowings, down from $130.3 million as of September 30, 2023[93]. - The weighted-average annual effective interest rates for term loans were 9.9% for the three months ended December 30, 2023, compared to 10.9% for the same period in 2022[94]. - Interest expense for the three months ended December 30, 2023, was $3.63 million, down from $4.20 million in the same period of 2022[113]. Operational Challenges - Supply chain disruptions continued into the first quarter of fiscal 2024, impacting the number of school buses produced and sold, as well as increasing manufacturing costs[77]. - The company faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which negatively impacted operations and cash flows[76][78]. Revenue Expectations - The company expects to recognize approximately $7.1 million in revenue during fiscal 2024 from federal funds awarded for zero and low emission school buses under the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act[99]. Inventory and Liabilities - Total inventories as of December 30, 2023, were $142.46 million, an increase from $135.29 million as of September 30, 2023[124]. - Total accrued self-insurance liability as of December 30, 2023, was $6.40 million, slightly up from $6.25 million as of September 30, 2023[100]. Taxation - The effective tax rate for the three months ended December 31, 2022, was 20.8%, aligning closely with the statutory federal income tax rate of 21%[104]. Pension and Accounting - The company reported a net periodic pension benefit expense of $36,000 for the three months ended December 30, 2023, compared to $178,000 for the same period in 2022[79]. - The company plans to provide updated disclosures required by new accounting standards in the periods they become effective[123]. Market Position - The company is recognized as a leader in alternative powered school buses, including propane, gasoline, and all-electric options[75]. - The company has taken periodic pricing actions to ensure that sales prices for buses keep pace with increased costs of inventory procurement[77].

A renewable energy infrastructure is well on its way to being built. However, patient investors still have time to get involved with green transportation stocks. Fossil fuels will still be needed for decades to come. Therefore, traditional energy stocks will remain solid investments, particularly for the income generated by their dividends.  However, growth-oriented investors may want to look at green energy investments. At this point, they face a more favorable regulatory environment that will ease adoptio ...

The equity markets are off to a strong start in 2024. But does that mean it’s time to look at small-cap growth stocks? It may be, and here’s why.  As January comes to a close, the market rally has not yet spread to the small-cap sector. The small-cap Russell 2000 index is down 3.2% in January. And over the last 12 months, the index has been essentially flat, with only minor gains at any given time. Over the last five years, however, this index is up almost 30%. And historically, the beginning of a broad mar ...

MACON, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blue Bird Corporation (Nasdaq: BLBD), the leader in electric and low-emission school buses, today announced that its Board of Directors authorized the company to repurchase up to $60 million in the aggregate of its outstanding common stock during the next 24 months. The repurchase program permits repurchases in open market or private transactions, including accelerated share repurchase transactions, block trades, or pursuant to trading plans intended to comply with SEC Rule 10b5 ...