ALSN vs FSS vs BLBD Stock Comparison

Allison Transmission Holdings, Federal Signal and Blue Bird Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$112.03 -5.2% 1M -0.9% 1Y
Market cap
$6.89B
P/E
23.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.55B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
1 win
BLBD Blue Bird Corp
$59.19 +3.5% 1M +15.2% 1Y
Market cap
$2.02B
P/E
7.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.61B
Div. yield
–
Heavy Equipment Industrials
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Allison Transmission Holdings leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Allison Transmission Holdings 5, Blue Bird 5, Federal Signal 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionALSNFSSBLBDLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $9.61B $6.89B $2.02B ALSN
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 16.5x 23.2x 7.2x BLBD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.2x 22.7x 13.2x BLBD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +70.8% +24.0% +13.5% ALSN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.1% 11.7% 17.5% BLBD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 12.3% 16.0% 29.3% BLBD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.8x 0.7x -0.1x BLBD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +44.2% -0.9% +15.2% ALSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +26.9%/yr +19.3%/yr +22.1%/yr ALSN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.2% 33.6% 42.9% ALSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 77/100 75/100 FSS

Percentile Scorecard

ALSNFSSBLBD

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

AxisALSNFSSBLBD
Valuation 78 #46 of 204 56 #91 of 204 92 #18 of 204
Growth 69 #60 of 191 93 #15 of 191 93 #14 of 191
Profitability 86 #27 of 189 89 #22 of 189 88 #23 of 189
Financial Health 17 #184 of 221 79 #48 of 221 72 #63 of 221
Shareholder Returns 60 #65 of 159 67 #53 of 159 29 #113 of 159
Overall 62 77 75
  • ALSN ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • FSS ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • BLBD ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodALSNFSSBLBDSPY
1 month +1.4%-5.2%+3.5% -5.9%
3 months +0.1%-12.3%-10.3% -4.6%
6 months -5.4%-7.0%-16.4% +0.2%
Year to date +18.9%+3.2%+25.9% +7.5%
1 year +44.2%-0.9%+15.2% +8.2%
3 years +123.3%+73.7%+214.8% +68.3%
3 years, per year +30.7%+20.2%+46.6% +19.0%
5 years +229.4%+142.0%+171.0% +56.5%
5 years, per year +26.9%+19.3%+22.1% +9.4%
10 years +308.5%+810.8%+308.2% +251.5%
10 years, per year +15.1%+24.7%+15.1% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureALSNFSSBLBDSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.2%33.6%42.9% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.9%33.1%45.5% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.041.171.06 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.37-0.030.36 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.1%-33.3%-70.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.4%-16.2%-27.4% -5.9%
52-week high $136.00$133.73$81.50 $779.14
52-week low $79.27$104.77$46.59 $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.

MultipleALSNFSSBLBD
P/E now vs peer median 16.6xmedian 23.4x 23.0xmedian 23.4x 7.2xmedian 23.4x
P/S now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 1.7x 2.7xmedian 1.7x 1.2xmedian 1.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.5xmedian 13.4x 14.1xmedian 13.4x 8.8xmedian 13.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 11.5xmedian 21.9x 18.7xmedian 21.9x 12.2xmedian 21.9x
P/B now vs peer median 4.6xmedian 2.1x 4.3xmedian 2.1x 2.9xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median -26.90median 1.02 0.86median 1.02 0.05median 1.02

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 monthsALSNFSSBLBD
Revenue $5.24B $2.55B $1.61B
Gross profit $1.78B $741.70M $331.66M
Operating income $961.00M $412.80M $189.81M
Net income $583.00M $296.90M $281.81M
Free cash flow $831.00M $365.10M $153.14M
R&D $215.00M – –
EPS (diluted) $7.02 $4.83 $8.02
Cash & equivalents $497.00M $73.70M $116.82M
Total debt $4.04B $420.30M $86.81M
Shares (diluted) 83.00M 61.50M 35.15M
Enterprise value $6.91B $6.62B $1.16B

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
MetricALSNFSSBLBD
P/E 16.6x 23.0x 7.2x
P/FCF 11.5x 18.7x 12.2x
P/Operating cash flow 9.1x 17.0x 10.4x
P/S 1.8x 2.7x 1.2x
P/B 4.6x 4.3x 2.9x
P/Tangible book 19.2x 5.7x 3.9x
EV/EBITDA 10.5x 14.1x 8.8x
EV/EBIT 13.6x 17.4x 9.7x
EV/Revenue 2.5x 2.8x 1.1x
EV/FCF 15.8x 19.7x 12.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.4x 17.8x 10.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -26.90 0.86 0.05

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALSNFSSBLBD
Revenue growth (1Y) 70.8% 24.0% 13.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 20.7% 15.2% 14.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 19.8% 24.8% 19.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 20.2% 57.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 1.8% 26.0% 33.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.7% 25.7% 598.6%
Net income growth (1Y) -16.6% 25.9% 143.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -3.3% 26.8% 160.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -15.6% 25.7% 125.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -0.6% 26.7% 155.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 31.1% 62.4% 8.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.0% 45.6% 16.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 32.3% 66.2% 7.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.2% 53.2% 13.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALSNFSSBLBD
Gross margin 33.9% 29.1% 20.6%
EBITDA margin 23.8% 19.9% 13.1%
Operating margin 18.3% 16.2% 11.8%
Pretax margin 14.2% 15.2% 20.0%
Net margin 11.1% 11.7% 17.5%
FCF margin 15.8% 14.3% 9.5%
Operating cash flow margin 20.1% 15.8% 11.2%
Return on equity 28.7% 19.2% 58.9%
Return on assets 6.7% 12.1% 30.2%
Return on invested capital 12.3% 16.0% 29.3%
Return on capital employed 13.1% 19.2% 30.9%
Asset turnover 0.6x 1.0x 1.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x 1.4x 0.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.6% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALSNFSSBLBD
Debt / assets 45.9% 17.1% 7.4%
Debt / equity 1.9x 0.3x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.8x 0.7x -0.1x
Debt / FCF 4.9x 1.2x 0.6x
Liabilities / assets 76.3% 35.7% 43.9%
Equity / assets 23.7% 64.3% 56.1%
Interest coverage – 17.9x 27.9x
Current ratio 1.8x 3.0x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.0x 1.3x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.3x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 2.00 7.43 4.70

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALSNFSSBLBD
Dividend yield 1.0% 0.5% –
Net buyback yield 1.6% 0.0% 0.4%
Shareholder yield 2.6% 0.5% 0.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 12.1% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 9.9% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 9.4% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 15.9% –

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.

ConsensusALSNFSSBLBD
Forward P/E 15.2xFY2026 22.7xFY2026 13.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.65FY2026 $4.94FY2026 $4.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.4%FY2026 +16.8%FY2026 +2.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +47.3% +9.9% -6.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.38BFY2026 $2.78BFY2026 $1.64BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +112.0%FY2026 +27.6%FY2026 +10.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.4% -4.9% +16.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALSNFSSBLBD
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 94.5%
Institutions holding 568 476 304
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% +3.9% -2.6%
Institutions buying 257 251 169
Institutions selling 232 152 101
Buyers to sellers 1.11 1.65 1.67

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.

ALSNFSSBLBD
ALSN 1.00 0.49 0.34
FSS 0.49 1.00 0.37
BLBD 0.34 0.37 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALSN, FSS and BLBD?

Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) is the largest by market capitalisation: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) $9.61B, Federal Signal (FSS) $6.89B, Blue Bird (BLBD) $2.02B.

Which stock is cheaper, ALSN, FSS and BLBD?

Blue Bird (BLBD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 16.5x, Federal Signal (FSS) 23.2x, Blue Bird (BLBD) 7.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Blue Bird (BLBD) is cheapest (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 15.2x, Federal Signal (FSS) 22.7x, Blue Bird (BLBD) 13.2x). 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) +70.8%, Federal Signal (FSS) +24.0%, Blue Bird (BLBD) +13.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Blue Bird (BLBD) has the highest net margin (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 11.1%, Federal Signal (FSS) 11.7%, Blue Bird (BLBD) 17.5%). On return on invested capital, Blue Bird (BLBD) leads (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 12.3%, Federal Signal (FSS) 16.0%, Blue Bird (BLBD) 29.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) returned the most: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +44.2%, Federal Signal (FSS) -0.9%, Blue Bird (BLBD) +15.2%. Over five years, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) compounded fastest (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +26.9%/yr, Federal Signal (FSS) +19.3%/yr, Blue Bird (BLBD) +22.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 0.00%, Federal Signal (FSS) 0.01%, Blue Bird (BLBD) 0.00%. Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) and Blue Bird (BLBD) 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) 32.2%, Federal Signal (FSS) 33.6%, Blue Bird (BLBD) 42.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) leads on 5. 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.