BLBD vs FSS vs GENC Stock Comparison

Blue Bird, Federal Signal and Gencor Industries Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
BLBD Blue Bird Corp
$58.04 -0.1% 1M +2.9% 1Y
Market cap
$1.95B
P/E
6.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.61B
Div. yield
–
Heavy Equipment Industrials
7 wins
FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$114.29 -0.3% 1M -8.8% 1Y
Market cap
$7.07B
P/E
24.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.45B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
3 wins
GENC Gencor Industries Inc
$17.23 -1.2% 1M +18.5% 1Y
Market cap
$252.70M
P/E
17.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$110.01M
Div. yield
–
Heavy Equipment Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Blue Bird leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Blue Bird 7, Federal Signal 3, Gencor Industries 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionBLBDFSSGENCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.95B $7.07B $252.70M FSS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 6.9x 24.8x 17.0x BLBD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 13.0x 23.2x 15.2x BLBD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.5% +24.0% -6.4% FSS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.5% 11.7% 13.5% BLBD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 29.3% 15.3% — BLBD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 0.8x — BLBD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +2.9% -8.8% +18.5% GENC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +25.1%/yr +22.3%/yr +9.3%/yr BLBD
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 42.8% 35.0% 38.4% FSS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 76/100 75/100 61/100 BLBD

Percentile Scorecard

BLBDFSSGENC

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

AxisBLBDFSSGENC
Valuation 94 #14 of 203 52 #99 of 203 65 #72 of 203
Growth 93 #15 of 187 94 #13 of 187 42 #109 of 187
Profitability 90 #19 of 185 89 #22 of 185 37 #117 of 185
Financial Health 71 #64 of 219 75 #55 of 219 100 #1 of 219
Shareholder Returns 32 #105 of 153 65 #54 of 153 –
Overall 76 75 61
  • BLBD ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • FSS ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • GENC ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodBLBDFSSGENCSPY
1 month -0.1%-0.3%-1.2% -0.8%
3 months -23.7%-3.5%+15.3% +3.5%
6 months -10.0%-1.2%+15.8% +7.0%
Year to date +23.5%+5.2%+32.9% +12.2%
1 year +2.9%-8.8%+18.5% +13.0%
3 years +211.4%+99.6%+23.3% +86.3%
3 years, per year +46.1%+25.9%+7.2% +23.1%
5 years +206.1%+173.9%+56.2% +68.6%
5 years, per year +25.1%+22.3%+9.3% +11.0%
10 years +294.6%+835.3%+47.3% +258.0%
10 years, per year +14.7%+25.1%+3.9% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureBLBDFSSGENCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 42.8%35.0%38.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 45.7%35.9%30.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.131.280.85 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.07-0.250.48 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -70.9%-33.3%-55.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -28.8%-14.5%-14.4% -1.8%
52-week high $81.50$133.73$20.14 $779.14
52-week low $46.59$104.77$12.23 $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.

MultipleBLBDFSSGENC
P/E now vs peer median 7.1xmedian 26.0x 24.4xmedian 26.0x 17.0xmedian 26.0x
P/S now vs peer median 1.1xmedian 1.9x 2.8xmedian 1.9x 1.9xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.6xmedian 14.0x 15.2xmedian 14.0x 3.2xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.0xmedian 21.4x 20.6xmedian 21.4x -131.6xmedian 21.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 2.2x 4.6xmedian 2.2x 0.9xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.05median 1.26 0.85median 1.26 2.31median 1.26

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 monthsBLBDFSSGENC
Revenue $1.61B $2.45B $110.01M
Gross profit $331.66M $714.00M $31.45M
Operating income $189.81M $395.40M $12.92M
Net income $281.81M $285.40M $14.89M
Free cash flow $153.14M $339.20M -$1.62M
R&D – – $2.73M
EPS (diluted) $8.02 $4.64 $1.02
Cash & equivalents $116.82M $62.80M $26.26M
Total debt $86.81M $453.60M –
Shares (diluted) 35.15M 61.50M 14.66M
Enterprise value $1.08B $6.82B -$350.63M

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
MetricBLBDFSSGENC
P/E 7.1x 24.4x 17.0x
P/FCF 12.0x 20.6x -131.6x
P/Operating cash flow 10.2x 18.7x 194.3x
P/S 1.1x 2.8x 1.9x
P/B 2.8x 4.6x 0.9x
P/Tangible book 3.8x 6.2x 0.9x
EV/EBITDA 8.6x 15.2x 3.2x
EV/EBIT 9.5x 18.6x 3.7x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 3.0x 0.4x
EV/FCF 11.8x 21.7x -30.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 10.0x 19.8x 44.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.05 0.85 2.31

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBLBDFSSGENC
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.5% 24.0% -6.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 14.0% 16.1% 0.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 19.9% 24.5% -3.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 57.8% 22.1% 4.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 33.3% 27.8% -16.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 598.6% 28.8% 2.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 143.2% 28.8% -2.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 160.8% 28.6% 7.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 125.4% 28.4% -2.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 155.1% 28.6% 7.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 8.4% 45.6% 796.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.5% 59.2% 28.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.0% 49.8% -78.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 73.3% 50.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBLBDFSSGENC
Gross margin 20.6% 29.2% 28.6%
EBITDA margin 13.1% 19.8% 13.7%
Operating margin 11.8% 16.2% 11.7%
Pretax margin 20.0% 15.2% 17.0%
Net margin 17.5% 11.7% 13.5%
FCF margin 9.5% 13.9% -1.5%
Operating cash flow margin 11.2% 15.2% 1.0%
Return on equity 58.9% 19.4% 6.7%
Return on assets 30.2% 11.7% 6.3%
Return on invested capital 29.3% 15.3% –
Return on capital employed 30.9% 18.5% 5.7%
Asset turnover 1.7x 1.0x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.6x 1.3x 0.1x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 0.6% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBLBDFSSGENC
Debt / assets 7.4% 18.6% –
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.3x –
Net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 0.8x –
Debt / FCF 0.6x 1.3x –
Liabilities / assets 43.9% 38.2% 5.9%
Equity / assets 56.1% 61.8% 94.1%
Interest coverage 27.9x 19.3x –
Current ratio 1.6x 2.7x 19.2x
Quick ratio 0.5x 1.1x 14.9x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.2x 14.1x
Altman Z-score 4.66 7.13 11.91

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBLBDFSSGENC
Dividend yield – 0.5% –
Net buyback yield 0.4% 0.0% –
Shareholder yield 0.4% 0.5% –
Payout ratio (earnings) – 12.6% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 10.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 13.6% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 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.

ConsensusBLBDFSSGENC
Forward P/E 13.0xFY2026 23.2xFY2026 15.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.48FY2026 $4.92FY2026 $1.13FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.3%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026 +5.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.9% +10.0% -15.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.64BFY2026 $2.79BFY2026 $111.17MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.7%FY2026 +28.1%FY2026 -3.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +16.4% -5.3% +38.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBLBDFSSGENC
Held by institutions 94.5% 100.0% 48.7%
Institutions holding 303 474 94
Change in shares held, QoQ -2.6% +3.9% -2.6%
Institutions buying 169 249 40
Institutions selling 100 152 33
Buyers to sellers 1.69 1.64 1.21

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.

BLBDFSSGENC
BLBD 1.00 0.36 0.19
FSS 0.36 1.00 0.25
GENC 0.19 0.25 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BLBD, FSS and GENC?

Federal Signal (FSS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Blue Bird (BLBD) $1.95B, Federal Signal (FSS) $7.07B, Gencor Industries (GENC) $252.70M.

Which stock is cheaper, BLBD, FSS and GENC?

Blue Bird (BLBD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Blue Bird (BLBD) 6.9x, Federal Signal (FSS) 24.8x, Gencor Industries (GENC) 17.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Blue Bird (BLBD) is cheapest (Blue Bird (BLBD) 13.0x, Federal Signal (FSS) 23.2x, Gencor Industries (GENC) 15.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Federal Signal (FSS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Blue Bird (BLBD) +13.5%, Federal Signal (FSS) +24.0%, Gencor Industries (GENC) -6.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Blue Bird (BLBD) has the highest net margin (Blue Bird (BLBD) 17.5%, Federal Signal (FSS) 11.7%, Gencor Industries (GENC) 13.5%). On return on invested capital, Blue Bird (BLBD) leads (Blue Bird (BLBD) 29.3%, Federal Signal (FSS) 15.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Gencor Industries (GENC) returned the most: Blue Bird (BLBD) +2.9%, Federal Signal (FSS) -8.8%, Gencor Industries (GENC) +18.5%. Over five years, Blue Bird (BLBD) compounded fastest (Blue Bird (BLBD) +25.1%/yr, Federal Signal (FSS) +22.3%/yr, Gencor Industries (GENC) +9.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Blue Bird (BLBD) 0.00%, Federal Signal (FSS) 0.01%, Gencor Industries (GENC) 0.00%. Blue Bird (BLBD) and Gencor Industries (GENC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Federal Signal (FSS) has been the steadiest (Blue Bird (BLBD) 42.8%, Federal Signal (FSS) 35.0%, Gencor Industries (GENC) 38.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 7. 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.