Blue Bird Q1 Earnings Beat, Sales Falls Short of Expectations

Blue Bird Corporation BLBD reported earnings of 92 cents per share for the first quarter of fiscal 2025 (ended Dec 28, 2024), which topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 83 cents. The company had reported earnings of 91 cents per share for the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2024. Net sales contracted 1.2% year over year to $313.8 million and missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $355 million.Stay up-to-date with the quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.Blue Bird Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Blue Bird Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Blue Bird Corporation QuoteKey TakeawaysNet revenues from the Bus segment totaled $288.1 million, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $328 million and also contracted 1.8% year over year. A total of 2,130 buses were sold in the fiscal first quarter of 2025, compared with 2,129 units in the corresponding period of fiscal 2024. Sales from diesel buses were $124.37 million (up 50% year over year) and sales from alternative power buses came in at $148.9 million (down 23.7% year over year). Gross profit from the segment totaled $47.2 million, down from $51.3 million in the year-ago period. Blue Bird exited the quarter with 4,400 units in its order backlog.Net revenues from the Parts segment rose 6.2% year over year to $25.7 million, thanks to price increases and better product and channel mix. But the top line fell short of the consensus mark of $27.5 million. Gross profit from the segment totaled $13.1 million, up from $12.2 million generated in the year-ago quarter.Blue Bird’s selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses during the reported quarter were $27.3 million, higher than $25.6 million incurred in the fiscal first quarter of 2024. Operating profit in the quarter declined 12.8% to $33 million.As of Dec. 28, 2024, BLBD had cash and cash equivalents of $136.1 million, up from $127.7 million as of Sept. 28, 2024. Its long-term debt was $88 million as of Dec. 28, 2024, compared with $90 million as of Sept. 28, 2024. During the first quarter of fiscal 2025, BLBD bought back 243,2450 shares for $10 million. At quarter-end, it had $40 million remaining under its current share repurchase authorization.The company expects fiscal 2025 revenues in the range of $1.4-$1.5 billion. Adjusted EBITDA and FCF are envisioned in the band of $185-$215 million and $40-$60 million, respectively. BLBD reaffirmed its long-term target of around $2 billion in revenues with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 15%.Blue Bird currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Key Releases From The Auto SpaceGeneral Motors GM reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings of $1.92 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.85. The bottom line also increased from the year-ago quarter’s level of $1.24. Revenues of $47.71 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $44 billion and increased from $42.98 billion recorded in the year-ago period.For 2025, GM expects adjusted EBIT in the range of $13.7-$15.7 billion compared with $14.9 billion recorded in 2024. Adjusted EPS is anticipated in the range of $11-$12 compared with $10.60 recorded in 2024.PACCAR PCAR recorded earnings of $1.68 per share for the fourth quarter of 2024, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.66 but declined from $2.70 per share reported in the year-ago period. Consolidated revenues (including trucks and financial services) came in at $7.9 billion, down from $9 billion in the corresponding quarter of 2023. Sales from Trucks, Parts and Others were $7.36 billion.PCAR expects capex and R&D expenses for 2025 in the band of $700-$800 million and $460-$500 million, respectively.Tesla TSLA reported fourth-quarter 2024 earnings per share of 73 cents, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 75 cents but increased from the year-ago figure of 71 cents. Total revenues of $25.71 billion also lagged the consensus mark of $27.5 billion but inched up from $25.17 billion recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2023.TSLA remains committed to starting the production of affordable vehicles in the first half of this year. It also reaffirmed that Cybercab will begin volume production in 2026. And most importantly, energy storage deployments are expected to grow at least 50% this year.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PACCAR Inc. (PCAR): Free Stock Analysis Report General Motors Company (GM): Free Stock Analysis Report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report Blue Bird Corporation (BLBD): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks