FSS vs HRI vs WSC Stock Comparison

Federal Signal, Herc Holdings and WillScot Holdings Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$117.93 +1.2% 1M +3.8% 1Y
Market cap
$7.20B
P/E
24.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.55B
Div. yield
0.50%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
8 wins
HRI Herc Holdings Inc
$158.40 +16.9% 1M +18.1% 1Y
Market cap
$5.29B
P/E
43.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.92B
Div. yield
1.77%
Equipment Rental Industrials
3 wins
WSC WillScot Holdings Corp
$19.30 +13.1% 1M -7.7% 1Y
Market cap
$3.49B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$2.29B
Div. yield
1.45%
Equipment Rental Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Federal Signal leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Federal Signal 8, Herc Holdings 3, WillScot Holdings 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFSSHRIWSCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $7.20B $5.29B $3.49B FSS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 24.2x 43.0x -50.7x FSS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 24.0x 22.9x 16.6x WSC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +24.0% +19.4% -2.5% FSS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.7% 2.5% -3.0% FSS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 16.0% 21.2% — HRI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 3.0x 8.5x FSS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.50% 1.77% 1.45% HRI
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +3.8% +18.1% -7.7% HRI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +20.6%/yr -4.0%/yr -11.6%/yr FSS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 33.2% 61.3% 52.2% FSS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 78/100 55/100 30/100 FSS

Percentile Scorecard

FSSHRIWSC

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

AxisFSSHRIWSC
Valuation 58 #86 of 204 64 #17 of 46 44 #26 of 46
Growth 94 #13 of 191 90 #5 of 39 5 #37 of 39
Profitability 90 #20 of 189 65 #15 of 41 43 #24 of 41
Financial Health 78 #49 of 221 13 #43 of 49 2 #48 of 49
Shareholder Returns 69 #50 of 159 42 #20 of 34 58 #15 of 34
Overall 78 55 30
  • FSS ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • HRI ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • WSC ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodFSSHRIWSCSPY
1 month +1.2%+16.9%+13.1% -1.0%
3 months -9.5%-6.1%-27.3% -0.4%
6 months -5.4%+16.5%-17.5% +4.5%
Year to date +8.6%+6.8%+2.5% +12.4%
1 year +3.8%+18.1%-7.7% +13.6%
3 years +83.3%+27.7%-46.1% +76.4%
3 years, per year +22.4%+8.5%-18.6% +20.8%
5 years +154.7%-18.3%-46.1% +63.7%
5 years, per year +20.6%-4.0%-11.6% +10.4%
10 years +858.8%+418.7%— +267.7%
10 years, per year +25.4%+17.9%— +13.9%

Risk

MeasureFSSHRIWSCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 33.2%61.3%52.2% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.2%53.9%48.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.181.841.79 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.110.30-0.15 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -33.3%-62.0%-71.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -11.8%-12.5%-33.6% -1.6%
52-week high $133.73$181.12$29.07 $779.14
52-week low $104.77$91.04$14.98 $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.

MultipleFSSHRIWSC
P/E now vs peer median 24.2xmedian 25.5x 43.0xmedian 25.1x -50.7xmedian 25.1x
P/S now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 1.9x 1.1xmedian 1.1x 1.5xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.8xmedian 14.4x 5.0xmedian 13.2x 17.0xmedian 13.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.7xmedian 23.3x -27.4xmedian 20.8x 11.7xmedian 20.8x
P/B now vs peer median 4.6xmedian 2.2x 2.7xmedian 2.5x 3.8xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.91median 1.16 -1.29median 2.23 1.74median 2.23

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 monthsFSSHRIWSC
Revenue $2.55B $4.92B $2.29B
Gross profit $741.70M $3.01B $1.16B
Operating income $412.80M $2.36B $149.28M
Net income $296.90M $123.00M -$68.89M
Free cash flow $365.10M -$193.00M $297.75M
EPS (diluted) $4.83 $3.67 $-0.38
Cash & equivalents $73.70M $66.00M $18.17M
Total debt $420.30M $8.04B $3.50B
Shares (diluted) 61.50M 33.50M 181.81M
Enterprise value $6.92B $5.09B $3.43B

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
MetricFSSHRIWSC
P/E 24.2x 43.0x -50.7x
P/FCF 19.7x -27.4x 11.7x
P/Operating cash flow 17.9x 4.2x 5.0x
P/S 2.8x 1.1x 1.5x
P/B 4.6x 2.7x 3.8x
P/Tangible book 6.0x 12.4x 4.9x
EV/EBITDA 14.8x 5.0x 17.0x
EV/EBIT 18.3x 5.6x 46.7x
EV/Revenue 3.0x 2.7x 3.0x
EV/FCF 20.7x -68.7x 23.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.7x 10.5x 9.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.91 -1.29 1.74

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFSSHRIWSC
Revenue growth (1Y) 24.0% 19.4% -2.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 15.2% 14.9% -0.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 24.8% 14.9% -7.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 20.2% 12.6% -3.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 26.0% 23.8% -61.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 25.7% 12.3% -38.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 25.9% 278.3% -162.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 26.8% -29.7% -28.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.7% 277.2% -163.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 26.7% -33.4% -29.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 62.4% 15.0% 19.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 45.6% 5.1% -2.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 66.2% -3.8% 9.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 53.2% 26.1% -9.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFSSHRIWSC
Gross margin 29.1% 61.2% 50.5%
EBITDA margin 19.9% 54.2% 17.9%
Operating margin 16.2% 47.9% 6.5%
Pretax margin 15.2% 2.8% -3.4%
Net margin 11.7% 2.5% -3.0%
FCF margin 14.3% -3.9% 13.0%
Operating cash flow margin 15.8% 25.8% 30.7%
Return on equity 19.2% 6.4% -4.1%
Return on assets 12.1% 0.9% -0.6%
Return on invested capital 16.0% 21.2% –
Return on capital employed 19.2% 18.3% 2.9%
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.4x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 10.3x -10.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.6% 1.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFSSHRIWSC
Debt / assets 17.1% 57.2% 59.6%
Debt / equity 0.3x 4.1x 3.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 3.0x 8.5x
Debt / FCF 1.2x -41.6x 11.7x
Liabilities / assets 35.7% 85.9% 84.5%
Equity / assets 64.3% 14.1% 15.5%
Interest coverage 17.9x – –
Current ratio 3.0x 1.1x 0.8x
Quick ratio 1.3x 1.0x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.1x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 7.67 1.23 0.70

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFSSHRIWSC
Dividend yield 0.5% 1.8% 1.5%
Net buyback yield 0.0% -0.2% 1.0%
Shareholder yield 0.5% 1.6% 2.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) 12.1% 76.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 9.9% -48.7% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 9.4% 13.3% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 15.9% 8.8% –

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.

ConsensusFSSHRIWSC
Forward P/E 24.0xFY2026 22.9xFY2026 16.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.92FY2026 $6.93FY2026 $1.16FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +16.3%FY2026 -8.9%FY2026 -3.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.0% +61.8% +4.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.79BFY2026 $4.76BFY2026 $2.18BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +28.1%FY2026 +8.6%FY2026 -4.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -5.3% +15.0% +15.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFSSHRIWSC
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 476 335 372
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.9% +7.0% -0.8%
Institutions buying 251 205 200
Institutions selling 152 87 130
Buyers to sellers 1.65 2.36 1.54

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.

FSSHRIWSC
FSS 1.00 0.40 0.36
HRI 0.40 1.00 0.57
WSC 0.36 0.57 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FSS, HRI and WSC?

Federal Signal (FSS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Federal Signal (FSS) $7.20B, Herc Holdings (HRI) $5.29B, WillScot Holdings (WSC) $3.49B.

Which stock is cheaper, FSS, HRI and WSC?

Federal Signal (FSS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Federal Signal (FSS) 24.2x, Herc Holdings (HRI) 43.0x, WillScot Holdings (WSC) -50.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, WillScot Holdings (WSC) is cheapest (Federal Signal (FSS) 24.0x, Herc Holdings (HRI) 22.9x, WillScot Holdings (WSC) 16.6x). 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%, Herc Holdings (HRI) +19.4%, WillScot Holdings (WSC) -2.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Federal Signal (FSS) has the highest net margin (Federal Signal (FSS) 11.7%, Herc Holdings (HRI) 2.5%, WillScot Holdings (WSC) -3.0%). On return on invested capital, Herc Holdings (HRI) leads (Federal Signal (FSS) 16.0%, Herc Holdings (HRI) 21.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Herc Holdings (HRI) returned the most: Federal Signal (FSS) +3.8%, Herc Holdings (HRI) +18.1%, WillScot Holdings (WSC) -7.7%. Over five years, Federal Signal (FSS) compounded fastest (Federal Signal (FSS) +20.6%/yr, Herc Holdings (HRI) -4.0%/yr, WillScot Holdings (WSC) -11.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Herc Holdings (HRI) has the highest dividend yield: Federal Signal (FSS) 0.50%, Herc Holdings (HRI) 1.77%, WillScot Holdings (WSC) 1.45%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Federal Signal (FSS) has been the steadiest (Federal Signal (FSS) 33.2%, Herc Holdings (HRI) 61.3%, WillScot Holdings (WSC) 52.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, FSS, HRI and WSC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Federal Signal (FSS) leads on 8. 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.