BLBD vs CAT vs CMI Stock Comparison

Blue Bird, Caterpillar and Cummins Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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BLBD Blue Bird Corp
$56.82 -2.2% 1M +6.9% 1Y
Market cap
$1.80B
P/E
6.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.61B
Div. yield
–
Heavy Equipment Industrials
6 wins
CAT Caterpillar Inc
$713.64 -13.1% 1M +35.4% 1Y
Market cap
$328.06B
P/E
30.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.88%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
4 wins
CMI Cummins Inc
$530.34 +1.0% 1M +26.0% 1Y
Market cap
$73.01B
P/E
26.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$34.71B
Div. yield
1.55%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionBLBDCATCMILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.80B $328.06B $73.01B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 6.9x 30.3x 26.9x BLBD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 12.7x 27.7x 16.9x BLBD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.5% +18.4% +2.9% CAT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.5% 14.5% 7.8% BLBD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 29.3% 15.9% 13.6% BLBD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 2.5x 0.7x BLBD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 0.88% 1.55% CMI
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +6.9% +35.4% +26.0% CAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +24.1%/yr +28.5%/yr +16.9%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 42.8% 40.5% 37.1% CMI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 76/100 51/100 59/100 BLBD

Percentile Scorecard

BLBDCATCMI

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

AxisBLBDCATCMI
Valuation 94 #13 of 203 21 #160 of 203 50 #103 of 203
Growth 93 #15 of 188 67 #63 of 188 52 #90 of 188
Profitability 91 #18 of 183 92 #15 of 183 71 #54 of 183
Financial Health 71 #64 of 217 17 #180 of 217 52 #104 of 217
Shareholder Returns 31 #106 of 153 56 #68 of 153 69 #48 of 153
Overall 76 51 59
  • BLBD ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • CAT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • CMI ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodBLBDCATCMISPY
1 month -2.2%-13.1%+1.0% -0.2%
3 months -23.1%-15.2%-17.3% +3.9%
6 months -9.7%-12.7%-17.5% +8.2%
Year to date +20.9%+24.6%+3.9% +12.9%
1 year +6.9%+35.4%+26.0% +12.3%
3 years +204.8%+199.1%+146.4% +87.4%
3 years, per year +45.0%+44.1%+35.1% +23.3%
5 years +194.4%+249.7%+118.5% +67.9%
5 years, per year +24.1%+28.5%+16.9% +10.9%
10 years +282.9%+759.7%+320.0% +261.1%
10 years, per year +14.4%+24.0%+15.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureBLBDCATCMISPY
Volatility, 1Y 42.8%40.5%37.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 45.7%39.9%38.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.121.851.64 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.160.870.70 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -70.9%-35.5%-30.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -30.3%-33.0%-27.1% -1.2%
52-week high $81.50$1,064.90$727.59 $779.14
52-week low $46.59$524.47$414.30 $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.

MultipleBLBDCATCMI
P/E now vs peer median 6.9xmedian 25.2x 30.3xmedian 25.2x 26.9xmedian 25.2x
P/S now vs peer median 1.1xmedian 1.9x 4.4xmedian 1.9x 2.1xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.4xmedian 14.0x 23.7xmedian 14.0x 15.2xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 11.8xmedian 21.7x 36.5xmedian 21.7x 21.7xmedian 21.7x
P/B now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 2.3x 16.9xmedian 2.3x 5.3xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.04median 1.32 2.32median 1.32 8.40median 1.32

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 monthsBLBDCATCMI
Revenue $1.61B $74.73B $34.71B
Gross profit $331.66M $25.66B $8.79B
Operating income $189.81M $13.09B $3.89B
Net income $281.81M $10.84B $2.83B
Free cash flow $153.14M $8.99B $3.37B
R&D – $2.27B $1.44B
EPS (diluted) $8.02 $23.45 $19.60
Cash & equivalents $116.82M $6.71B $3.18B
Total debt $86.81M $45.15B $7.35B
Shares (diluted) 35.15M 462.50M 138.50M
Enterprise value $936.06M $299.76B $70.14B

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
MetricBLBDCATCMI
P/E 6.9x 30.3x 26.9x
P/FCF 11.8x 36.5x 21.7x
P/Operating cash flow 10.0x 24.2x 15.7x
P/S 1.1x 4.4x 2.1x
P/B 2.7x 16.9x 5.3x
P/Tangible book 3.8x 17.3x 6.2x
EV/EBITDA 8.4x 23.7x 15.2x
EV/EBIT 9.3x 28.0x 19.6x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 4.9x 2.2x
EV/FCF 11.6x 40.7x 22.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.8x 27.0x 16.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.04 2.32 8.40

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBLBDCATCMI
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.5% 18.4% 2.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 14.0% 4.9% 2.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 19.9% 11.7% 1.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 57.8% 5.6% 4.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 33.3% 13.7% -6.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 598.6% 7.7% 4.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 143.2% 14.9% -7.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 160.8% 9.0% 2.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 125.4% 17.1% -7.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 155.1% 13.0% 3.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 8.4% 19.3% 63.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.5% 10.6% 28.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.0% 16.2% 103.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 7.4% 45.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBLBDCATCMI
Gross margin 20.6% 34.3% 25.3%
EBITDA margin 13.1% 20.7% 14.4%
Operating margin 11.8% 17.5% 11.2%
Pretax margin 20.0% 18.6% 11.1%
Net margin 17.5% 14.5% 7.8%
FCF margin 9.5% 12.0% 9.7%
Operating cash flow margin 11.2% 18.2% 13.4%
Return on equity 58.9% 57.0% 20.7%
Return on assets 30.2% 10.9% 8.1%
Return on invested capital 29.3% 15.9% 13.6%
Return on capital employed 30.9% 22.1% 16.0%
Asset turnover 1.7x 0.8x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.6x 1.3x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBLBDCATCMI
Debt / assets 7.4% 44.0% 20.6%
Debt / equity 0.1x 2.3x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 2.5x 0.7x
Debt / FCF 0.6x 5.0x 2.2x
Liabilities / assets 43.9% 81.1% 61.0%
Equity / assets 56.1% 18.9% 39.0%
Interest coverage 27.9x 6.8x 12.1x
Current ratio 1.6x 1.4x 1.7x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.5x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.2x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 4.61 4.64 4.54

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBLBDCATCMI
Dividend yield – 0.9% 1.5%
Net buyback yield 0.4% 2.2% 0.6%
Shareholder yield 0.4% 3.1% 2.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 25.9% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 31.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 4.2% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 4.1% –

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.

ConsensusBLBDCATCMI
Forward P/E 12.7xFY2026 27.7xFY2026 16.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.48FY2026 $25.79FY2026 $31.39FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.3%FY2026 +35.3%FY2026 +31.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.9% +31.4% +14.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.64BFY2026 $84.12BFY2026 $35.38BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.7%FY2026 +24.5%FY2026 +5.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +16.4% +1.5% +11.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBLBDCATCMI
Held by institutions 94.5% 72.3% 85.4%
Institutions holding 303 4,057 2,106
Change in shares held, QoQ -2.6% +0.5% +1.0%
Institutions buying 169 1,888 1,049
Institutions selling 100 1,595 728
Buyers to sellers 1.69 1.18 1.44

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.

BLBDCATCMI
BLBD 1.00 0.31 0.25
CAT 0.31 1.00 0.78
CMI 0.25 0.78 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BLBD, CAT and CMI?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Blue Bird (BLBD) $1.80B, Caterpillar (CAT) $328.06B, Cummins (CMI) $73.01B.

Which stock is cheaper, BLBD, CAT and CMI?

Blue Bird (BLBD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Blue Bird (BLBD) 6.9x, Caterpillar (CAT) 30.3x, Cummins (CMI) 26.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Blue Bird (BLBD) is cheapest (Blue Bird (BLBD) 12.7x, Caterpillar (CAT) 27.7x, Cummins (CMI) 16.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Caterpillar (CAT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Blue Bird (BLBD) +13.5%, Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Cummins (CMI) +2.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Blue Bird (BLBD) has the highest net margin (Blue Bird (BLBD) 17.5%, Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Cummins (CMI) 7.8%). On return on invested capital, Blue Bird (BLBD) leads (Blue Bird (BLBD) 29.3%, Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Cummins (CMI) 13.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Caterpillar (CAT) returned the most: Blue Bird (BLBD) +6.9%, Caterpillar (CAT) +35.4%, Cummins (CMI) +26.0%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Blue Bird (BLBD) +24.1%/yr, Caterpillar (CAT) +28.5%/yr, Cummins (CMI) +16.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Cummins (CMI) has the highest dividend yield: Caterpillar (CAT) 0.88%, Cummins (CMI) 1.55%. Blue Bird (BLBD) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cummins (CMI) has been the steadiest (Blue Bird (BLBD) 42.8%, Caterpillar (CAT) 40.5%, Cummins (CMI) 37.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BLBD, CAT and CMI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Blue Bird (BLBD) 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.