FSS vs GENC vs BLBD Stock Comparison

Federal Signal, Gencor Industries and Blue Bird Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$114.29 -0.3% 1M -8.8% 1Y
Market cap
$7.01B
P/E
24.6x
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
$254.76M
P/E
17.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$110.01M
Div. yield
–
Heavy Equipment Industrials
1 win
BLBD Blue Bird Corp
$58.04 -0.1% 1M +2.9% 1Y
Market cap
$1.99B
P/E
7.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.61B
Div. yield
–
Heavy Equipment Industrials
7 wins

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.

QuestionFSSGENCBLBDLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $7.01B $254.76M $1.99B FSS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 24.6x 17.1x 7.1x BLBD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.2x 15.2x 13.0x BLBD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +24.0% -6.4% +13.5% FSS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.7% 13.5% 17.5% BLBD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.3% — 29.3% BLBD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x — -0.1x BLBD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.8% +18.5% +2.9% GENC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +22.3%/yr +9.3%/yr +25.1%/yr BLBD
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.0% 38.4% 42.8% FSS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 75/100 61/100 76/100 BLBD

Percentile Scorecard

FSSGENCBLBD

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

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

Price Performance

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

Returns

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

Risk

MeasureFSSGENCBLBDSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.0%38.4%42.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 35.9%30.1%45.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.280.851.13 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.250.480.07 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -33.3%-55.7%-70.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.5%-14.4%-28.8% -1.8%
52-week high $133.73$20.14$81.50 $779.14
52-week low $104.77$12.23$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.

MultipleFSSGENCBLBD
P/E now vs peer median 24.4xmedian 26.0x 17.0xmedian 26.0x 7.1xmedian 26.0x
P/S now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 1.9x 1.9xmedian 1.9x 1.1xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.2xmedian 14.0x 3.2xmedian 14.0x 8.6xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 20.6xmedian 21.4x -131.6xmedian 21.4x 12.0xmedian 21.4x
P/B now vs peer median 4.6xmedian 2.2x 0.9xmedian 2.2x 2.8xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.85median 1.26 2.31median 1.26 0.05median 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 monthsFSSGENCBLBD
Revenue $2.45B $110.01M $1.61B
Gross profit $714.00M $31.45M $331.66M
Operating income $395.40M $12.92M $189.81M
Net income $285.40M $14.89M $281.81M
Free cash flow $339.20M -$1.62M $153.14M
R&D – $2.73M –
EPS (diluted) $4.64 $1.02 $8.02
Cash & equivalents $62.80M $26.26M $116.82M
Total debt $453.60M – $86.81M
Shares (diluted) 61.50M 14.66M 35.15M
Enterprise value $6.76B -$348.58M $1.12B

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

Growth

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

Profitability

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

Financial Health

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

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFSSGENCBLBD
Dividend yield 0.5% – –
Net buyback yield 0.0% – 0.4%
Shareholder yield 0.5% – 0.4%
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.

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

Institutional Ownership

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

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.

FSSGENCBLBD
FSS 1.00 0.25 0.36
GENC 0.25 1.00 0.19
BLBD 0.36 0.19 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FSS, GENC and BLBD?

Federal Signal (FSS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Federal Signal (FSS) $7.01B, Gencor Industries (GENC) $254.76M, Blue Bird (BLBD) $1.99B.

Which stock is cheaper, FSS, GENC and BLBD?

Blue Bird (BLBD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Federal Signal (FSS) 24.6x, Gencor Industries (GENC) 17.1x, Blue Bird (BLBD) 7.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Blue Bird (BLBD) is cheapest (Federal Signal (FSS) 23.2x, Gencor Industries (GENC) 15.2x, Blue Bird (BLBD) 13.0x). 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: Federal Signal (FSS) +24.0%, Gencor Industries (GENC) -6.4%, Blue Bird (BLBD) +13.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

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

Which stock has performed better?

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

Which pays a higher dividend?

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

Which stock is riskier?

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

Which is the better stock, FSS, GENC 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, 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.