ALSN vs CAT vs FSS Stock Comparison

Allison Transmission Holdings, Caterpillar and Federal Signal Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CAT Caterpillar Inc
$686.82 -15.5% 1M +32.0% 1Y
Market cap
$318.29B
P/E
29.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
6 wins
FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$113.24 0.0% 1M -9.5% 1Y
Market cap
$6.95B
P/E
24.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.45B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Caterpillar leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Caterpillar 6, Allison Transmission Holdings 4, Federal Signal 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionALSNCATFSSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $8.90B $318.29B $6.95B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 16.8x 29.4x 24.4x ALSN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 13.9x 26.6x 23.0x ALSN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +37.6% +18.4% +24.0% ALSN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.0% 14.5% 11.7% CAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.7% 15.9% 15.3% CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.4x 2.5x 0.8x FSS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.01% CAT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +27.8% +32.0% -9.5% CAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +25.2%/yr +27.9%/yr +21.9%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.4% 40.4% 34.9% ALSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 50/100 75/100 FSS

Percentile Scorecard

ALSNCATFSS

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisALSNCATFSS
Valuation 74 #54 of 203 22 #159 of 203 52 #99 of 203
Growth 43 #108 of 188 68 #61 of 188 94 #13 of 188
Profitability 88 #24 of 187 91 #17 of 187 88 #23 of 187
Financial Health 14 #192 of 222 16 #186 of 222 75 #56 of 222
Shareholder Returns 66 #52 of 153 53 #72 of 153 66 #53 of 153
Overall 57 50 75
  • ALSN ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • CAT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • FSS ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodALSNCATFSSSPY
1 month -7.2%-15.5%0.0% -1.0%
3 months -13.1%-22.7%-4.8% +2.9%
6 months -21.5%-17.3%-2.4% +6.4%
Year to date +8.6%+19.9%+4.3% +11.4%
1 year +27.8%+32.0%-9.5% +13.1%
3 years +85.2%+175.2%+96.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year +22.8%+40.2%+25.2% +21.5%
5 years +207.7%+242.3%+168.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year +25.2%+27.9%+21.9% +10.9%
10 years +286.6%+695.6%+794.5% +255.2%
10 years, per year +14.5%+23.0%+24.5% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureALSNCATFSSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.4%40.4%34.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.1%39.9%35.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.041.831.27 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.890.79-0.27 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.1%-35.5%-33.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -21.8%-35.5%-15.3% -2.5%
52-week high $136.00$1,064.90$133.73 $779.14
52-week low $79.27$520.50$104.77 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleALSNCATFSS
P/E now vs peer median 16.7xmedian 25.9x 29.2xmedian 25.9x 24.2xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 1.9x 4.2xmedian 1.9x 2.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 11.3xmedian 13.7x 22.9xmedian 13.7x 15.0xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 11.9xmedian 21.1x 35.1xmedian 21.1x 20.4xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 4.4xmedian 2.3x 16.3xmedian 2.3x 4.6xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -5.86median 1.19 2.24median 1.19 0.85median 1.19

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsALSNCATFSS
Revenue $4.40B $74.73B $2.45B
Gross profit $1.60B $25.66B $714.00M
Operating income $861.00M $13.09B $395.40M
Net income $529.00M $10.84B $285.40M
Free cash flow $737.00M $8.99B $339.20M
R&D $197.00M $2.27B –
EPS (diluted) $6.30 $23.45 $4.64
Cash & equivalents $399.00M $6.71B $62.80M
Total debt $4.14B $173.08B $453.60M
Shares (diluted) 84.00M 462.50M 61.50M
Enterprise value $5.79B $289.99B $6.70B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricALSNCATFSS
P/E 16.7x 29.2x 24.2x
P/FCF 11.9x 35.1x 20.4x
P/Operating cash flow 9.4x 23.3x 18.6x
P/S 2.0x 4.2x 2.8x
P/B 4.4x 16.3x 4.6x
P/Tangible book 23.6x 16.6x 6.2x
EV/EBITDA 11.3x 22.9x 15.0x
EV/EBIT 14.5x 27.1x 18.5x
EV/Revenue 2.8x 4.7x 3.0x
EV/FCF 17.0x 39.4x 21.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.3x 26.1x 19.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -5.86 2.24 0.85

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALSNCATFSS
Revenue growth (1Y) 37.6% 18.4% 24.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 14.2% 4.9% 16.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 3.5% 11.7% 24.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.4% 5.6% 22.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) -13.9% 13.7% 27.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -0.2% 7.7% 28.8%
Net income growth (1Y) -30.6% 14.9% 28.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.4% 9.0% 28.6%
EPS growth (1Y) -29.8% 17.1% 28.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -2.8% 13.0% 28.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 14.2% 19.3% 45.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.1% 10.6% 59.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 12.7% 16.2% 49.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.8% 7.4% 73.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALSNCATFSS
Gross margin 36.4% 34.3% 29.2%
EBITDA margin 25.1% 20.7% 19.8%
Operating margin 19.6% 17.5% 16.2%
Pretax margin 15.7% 18.6% 15.2%
Net margin 12.0% 14.5% 11.7%
FCF margin 16.7% 12.0% 13.9%
Operating cash flow margin 21.3% 18.2% 15.2%
Return on equity 27.3% 57.0% 19.4%
Return on assets 6.1% 10.9% 11.7%
Return on invested capital 10.7% 15.9% 15.3%
Return on capital employed 11.7% 22.1% 18.5%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.8x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x 1.3x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% – 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALSNCATFSS
Debt / assets 47.5% 44.0% 18.6%
Debt / equity 2.1x 2.3x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.4x 2.5x 0.8x
Debt / FCF 5.6x 5.0x 1.3x
Liabilities / assets 77.3% 81.1% 38.2%
Equity / assets 22.7% 18.9% 61.8%
Interest coverage – 6.8x 19.3x
Current ratio 1.8x 1.4x 2.7x
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.5x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 1.78 4.55 7.09

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALSNCATFSS
Dividend yield 1.1% 0.7% 0.5%
Net buyback yield 1.4% 2.3% 0.0%
Shareholder yield 2.5% 3.0% 0.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 25.9% 12.6%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 31.3% 10.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 4.2% 13.6%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 4.1% 17.0%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusALSNCATFSS
Forward P/E 13.9xFY2026 26.6xFY2026 23.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.67FY2026 $25.79FY2026 $4.92FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.6%FY2026 +35.3%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +45.5% +31.4% +10.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.32BFY2026 $84.12BFY2026 $2.79BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +109.9%FY2026 +24.5%FY2026 +28.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.4% +1.5% -5.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALSNCATFSS
Held by institutions 100.0% 72.3% 100.0%
Institutions holding 566 4,055 474
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% +0.5% +3.9%
Institutions buying 258 1,886 249
Institutions selling 229 1,595 152
Buyers to sellers 1.13 1.18 1.64

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ALSNCATFSS
ALSN 1.00 0.52 0.42
CAT 0.52 1.00 0.50
FSS 0.42 0.50 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALSN, CAT and FSS?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) $8.90B, Caterpillar (CAT) $318.29B, Federal Signal (FSS) $6.95B.

Which stock is cheaper, ALSN, CAT and FSS?

Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 16.8x, Caterpillar (CAT) 29.4x, Federal Signal (FSS) 24.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) is cheapest (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 13.9x, Caterpillar (CAT) 26.6x, Federal Signal (FSS) 23.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +37.6%, Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Federal Signal (FSS) +24.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest net margin (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 12.0%, Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Federal Signal (FSS) 11.7%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 10.7%, Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Federal Signal (FSS) 15.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Caterpillar (CAT) returned the most: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +27.8%, Caterpillar (CAT) +32.0%, Federal Signal (FSS) -9.5%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +25.2%/yr, Caterpillar (CAT) +27.9%/yr, Federal Signal (FSS) +21.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest dividend yield: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 0.00%, Caterpillar (CAT) 0.01%, Federal Signal (FSS) 0.01%. Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) has been the steadiest (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 31.4%, Caterpillar (CAT) 40.4%, Federal Signal (FSS) 34.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ALSN, CAT and FSS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Caterpillar (CAT) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.