Blue Bird Gears Up to Report Q2 Earnings: Here's What to Expect

Blue Bird Corporation BLBD is slated to release second-quarter fiscal 2025 results on May 7, after the closing bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter’s earnings per share (EPS) and revenues is pegged at 96 cents and $390 million, respectively.

For the fiscal second quarter, the consensus estimate for Blue Bird’s earnings has moved up 4 cents in the past 90 days. Its bottom-line estimates imply 7.87% growth from the year-ago reported numbers. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLBD's quarterly revenues implies year-over-year growth of 12.74%. The company's earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, delivering an average surprise of 49.64%. This is depicted in the graph below:

Blue Bird Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

Blue Bird Corporation price-eps-surprise | Blue Bird Corporation Quote

Highlights of BLBD’s Q1 Results

In the first quarter of fiscal 2025, BLBD’s adjusted EPS of 92 cents beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 83 cents and increased from 91 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. The company reported net sales of $314 million, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $355 million. The top line also fell from $318 million reported in the year-ago quarter.

Things to Note Ahead of BLBD’s Q2 Release

BLBD expects to sell 1,000 electric vehicles in fiscal 2025. Its EV backlog at the end of the fiscal first quarter totaled approximately $250 million in revenues, nearly twice the amount recorded at the end of the fiscal first quarter last year. The company expects fiscal 2025 net revenues in the range of $1.4-$1.5 billion, up from $1.35 billion in fiscal 2024. Upbeat sales outlook for fiscal 2025 on the back of solid EV backlog is likely to have bolstered the company’s top-line growth in the fiscal second quarter.

In the fiscal first quarter, operating profit declined to $33 million from $38 million reported in the year-ago period. The profit was impacted by an increase of $1.7 million in selling, general and administrative expenses due to higher labor costs that resulted from finalizing the union contract in May 2024. The increase in labor cost is likely to have persisted in the second quarter, which is likely to have hurt the company’s margins.

Earnings Whispers for BLBD

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Blue Bird for the quarter to be reported, as it does not have the right combination of the two key ingredients. A positive Earnings ESP, combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold), increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is not the case here.

BLBD’s Earnings ESP: BLBD has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at par with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

(Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.)

Zacks Rank of BLBD: It currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

Earnings Whispers for Other Auto Stocks

Blink Charging Co. BLNK has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The company is scheduled to post first-quarter 2025 earnings on May 12. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at a loss of 14 cents per share.

BLNK’s earnings surpassed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, the average surprise being 9.37%.

Modine Manufacturing Company MOD has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) at present. It is scheduled to post fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on May 20. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 96 cents per share.

MOD’s earnings surpassed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, the average surprise being 9.79%.

AutoZone, Inc. AZO has an Earnings ESP of +2.50% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. The company is slated to post fiscal third-quarter 2025 earnings on May 27. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $37.08 per share.

AZO’s earnings surpassed estimates in one of the trailing four quarters and missed thrice, the average negative surprise being 3.23%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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