ST vs FSS vs APTV Stock Comparison

Sensata Technologies Holding, Federal Signal and Aptiv Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$115.92 +1.1% 1M -7.5% 1Y
Market cap
$7.08B
P/E
24.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.45B
Div. yield
0.51%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
7 wins
APTV Aptiv PLC
$43.66 -2.5% 1M -49.3% 1Y
Market cap
$9.10B
P/E
42.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$18.73B
Div. yield
–
Electrical Equipment Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Federal Signal leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Federal Signal 7, Sensata Technologies Holding 3, Aptiv 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSTFSSAPTVLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $6.16B $7.08B $9.10B APTV
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 16.8x 24.7x 42.0x ST
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.8x 23.6x 8.0x APTV
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.1% +24.0% +5.3% FSS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 9.5% 11.7% 1.2% FSS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.2% 15.3% 2.6% FSS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 0.8x 2.3x FSS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.13% 0.51% 0.00% ST
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +33.9% -7.5% -49.3% ST
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -5.2%/yr +22.1%/yr -24.0%/yr FSS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 39.8% 35.0% 44.6% FSS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 63/100 75/100 56/100 FSS

Percentile Scorecard

STFSSAPTV

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

AxisSTFSSAPTV
Valuation 88 #26 of 203 51 #101 of 203 96 #10 of 203
Growth 71 #55 of 188 94 #13 of 188 14 #161 of 188
Profitability 70 #56 of 183 90 #20 of 183 36 #117 of 183
Financial Health 42 #127 of 217 75 #55 of 217 33 #145 of 217
Shareholder Returns 47 #82 of 153 65 #54 of 153 99 #3 of 153
Overall 63 75 56
  • ST ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • FSS ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • APTV ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodSTFSSAPTVSPY
1 month +0.3%+1.1%-2.5% -0.2%
3 months -9.5%-1.6%-26.5% +3.9%
6 months +1.9%+3.7%-26.2% +8.2%
Year to date +27.1%+6.8%-42.6% +12.9%
1 year +33.9%-7.5%-49.3% +12.3%
3 years +23.3%+102.4%-49.2% +87.4%
3 years, per year +7.2%+26.5%-20.2% +23.3%
5 years -23.3%+171.6%-74.6% +67.9%
5 years, per year -5.2%+22.1%-24.0% +10.9%
10 years +14.3%+848.6%-32.3% +261.1%
10 years, per year +1.3%+25.2%-3.8% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureSTFSSAPTVSPY
Volatility, 1Y 39.8%35.0%44.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 36.8%35.9%48.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.931.281.16 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.85-0.21-1.11 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -72.8%-33.3%-76.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -21.0%-13.3%-50.8% -1.2%
52-week high $53.55$133.73$88.67 $779.14
52-week low $28.53$104.77$42.69 $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.

MultipleSTFSSAPTV
P/E now vs peer median 16.8xmedian 25.2x 24.7xmedian 25.2x 42.0xmedian 25.2x
P/S now vs peer median 1.6xmedian 1.9x 2.9xmedian 1.9x 0.5xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.0xmedian 14.0x 15.4xmedian 14.0x 6.8xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 9.6xmedian 21.7x 20.9xmedian 21.7x 11.1xmedian 21.7x
P/B now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 2.3x 4.7xmedian 2.3x 1.0xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 2.45median 1.32 0.87median 1.32 -1.32median 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 monthsSTFSSAPTV
Revenue $3.85B $2.45B $18.73B
Gross profit $1.19B $714.00M $3.68B
Operating income $582.40M $395.40M $995.00M
Net income $366.60M $285.40M $231.00M
Free cash flow $641.20M $339.20M $817.00M
R&D $128.60M – –
EPS (diluted) $2.49 $4.64 $1.04
Cash & equivalents $553.40M $62.80M $761.00M
Total debt $2.40B $453.60M $5.35B
Shares (diluted) 147.00M 61.50M 212.10M
Enterprise value $3.99B $6.82B $1.95B

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
MetricSTFSSAPTV
P/E 16.8x 24.7x 42.0x
P/FCF 9.6x 20.9x 11.1x
P/Operating cash flow 8.1x 19.0x 6.1x
P/S 1.6x 2.9x 0.5x
P/B 2.0x 4.7x 1.0x
P/Tangible book 2.3x 6.3x 1.3x
EV/EBITDA 10.0x 15.4x 6.8x
EV/EBIT 13.7x 18.9x 13.8x
EV/Revenue 2.1x 3.1x 0.7x
EV/FCF 12.5x 22.0x 16.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 10.5x 20.0x 9.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.45 0.87 -1.32

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSTFSSAPTV
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.1% 24.0% 5.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -1.9% 16.1% -1.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.4% 24.5% 4.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -3.3% 22.1% 4.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 175.8% 27.8% -43.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.8% 28.8% -15.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 1,505% 28.8% -77.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 28.6% -38.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 1,492% 28.4% -77.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 6.9% 28.6% -31.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 28.5% 45.6% -36.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.6% 59.2% -7.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 34.4% 49.8% -52.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 17.0% 73.3% -7.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSTFSSAPTV
Gross margin 30.8% 29.2% 19.6%
EBITDA margin 20.9% 19.8% 10.7%
Operating margin 15.1% 16.2% 5.3%
Pretax margin 12.4% 15.2% 4.1%
Net margin 9.5% 11.7% 1.2%
FCF margin 16.7% 13.9% 4.4%
Operating cash flow margin 19.7% 15.2% 7.9%
Return on equity 12.2% 19.4% 2.6%
Return on assets 5.5% 11.7% 1.1%
Return on invested capital 8.2% 15.3% 2.6%
Return on capital employed 10.0% 18.5% 5.3%
Asset turnover 0.6x 1.0x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.1x 1.3x 6.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 0.6% 0.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSTFSSAPTV
Debt / assets 35.8% 18.6% 29.8%
Debt / equity 0.8x 0.3x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 0.8x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 3.7x 1.3x 6.6x
Liabilities / assets 54.1% 38.2% 51.4%
Equity / assets 45.9% 61.8% 48.6%
Interest coverage 4.4x 19.3x 3.0x
Current ratio 2.4x 2.7x 2.0x
Quick ratio 1.5x 1.1x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.7x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.62 7.19 2.45

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSTFSSAPTV
Dividend yield 1.1% 0.5% –
Net buyback yield 0.4% 0.0% 7.9%
Shareholder yield 1.5% 0.5% 7.9%
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.

ConsensusSTFSSAPTV
Forward P/E 11.8xFY2026 23.6xFY2026 8.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.60FY2026 $4.92FY2026 $5.49FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +5.3%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026 -17.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +19.7% +10.0% +13.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.79BFY2026 $2.79BFY2026 $13.02BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +2.3%FY2026 +28.1%FY2026 -36.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.1% -5.3% +4.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSTFSSAPTV
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 98.6%
Institutions holding 467 474 659
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% +3.9% +9.2%
Institutions buying 265 249 330
Institutions selling 149 152 260
Buyers to sellers 1.78 1.64 1.27

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.

STFSSAPTV
ST 1.00 0.47 0.39
FSS 0.47 1.00 0.17
APTV 0.39 0.17 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ST, FSS and APTV?

Aptiv (APTV) is the largest by market capitalisation: Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) $6.16B, Federal Signal (FSS) $7.08B, Aptiv (APTV) $9.10B.

Which stock is cheaper, ST, FSS and APTV?

Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) 16.8x, Federal Signal (FSS) 24.7x, Aptiv (APTV) 42.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Aptiv (APTV) is cheapest (Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) 11.8x, Federal Signal (FSS) 23.6x, Aptiv (APTV) 8.0x). 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: Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) +4.1%, Federal Signal (FSS) +24.0%, Aptiv (APTV) +5.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Federal Signal (FSS) has the highest net margin (Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) 9.5%, Federal Signal (FSS) 11.7%, Aptiv (APTV) 1.2%). On return on invested capital, Federal Signal (FSS) leads (Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) 8.2%, Federal Signal (FSS) 15.3%, Aptiv (APTV) 2.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) returned the most: Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) +33.9%, Federal Signal (FSS) -7.5%, Aptiv (APTV) -49.3%. Over five years, Federal Signal (FSS) compounded fastest (Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) -5.2%/yr, Federal Signal (FSS) +22.1%/yr, Aptiv (APTV) -24.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) has the highest dividend yield: Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) 1.13%, Federal Signal (FSS) 0.51%, Aptiv (APTV) 0.00%. Aptiv (APTV) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Federal Signal (FSS) has been the steadiest (Sensata Technologies Holding (ST) 39.8%, Federal Signal (FSS) 35.0%, Aptiv (APTV) 44.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ST, FSS and APTV?

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 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.