Federal Signal Corporation Common Stock (FSS)

Cyclical

FairStock Score: 63/100 — STEADY

Key Financials

Current Price$113.23
Market Cap$6.9B
P/E Ratio24.4
ROE20.61%
Dividend Yield0.53%
SectorIndustrials

AI Analysis

AI-generated, general educational analysis — not personal investment advice.

I approach Federal Signal as a cyclical industrial with a real franchise. It sells essential municipal and industrial equipment, including street sweepers, sewer cleaners, and safety and security systems, where reputation and switching costs can create a modest moat. The filed numbers show momentum: in fiscal Q2 2026, the quarter ended 2026-06-30, revenue was $670.2M, net income $86.1M, and diluted EPS $1.40, versus fiscal Q2 2025, the quarter ended 2025-06-30, when revenue was $564.6M, net income $71.4M, and diluted EPS $1.16. That is roughly 19% revenue growth and 21% profit growth. Financial health looks solid. FairStock calculations at the 2026-10-13 close of $114.24 show ROE of 20.61%, ROCE of 11.75%, debt-to-equity of 0.32, Piotroski F-Score of 7/9, and Altman Z-Score of 6.02, suggesting profitability and low bankruptcy risk. Trailing free cash flow is $339.2M, a 4.9% FCF yield. Still, the price is rich by conservative standards: P/E 24.62, P/B 4.63, EV/EBITDA 15.30, and PEG 1.20. The Graham Number of $50.78 implies a margin of safety of -124.97%, so buyers are paying a large premium to asset-and-earnings value. Federal Signal is classified as CYCLICAL, and that matters: earnings follow the economic cycle. I see a well-run, cash-generative business with improving results, but not a Graham bargain. Quality is evident; the margin of safety is not. At this price, much of the good news already appears discounted, and a cyclical downturn could test both earnings and the multiple.

In plain English: Federal Signal makes specialty trucks and equipment such as street sweepers, sewer cleaners and safety systems for cities, government agencies and industrial customers. The business looks strong: sales and profits rose in the latest reported quarter, returns are high and debt is modest. But the stock looks expensive compared with its earnings, book value and a conservative value estimate, so it is not a bargain by those measures.

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Data as of 2026-10-13 close · note generated 2026-10-15 · model deepseek-flash

Sources (SEC EDGAR): fiscal Q2 2026 10-Q (period ended 2026-06-30) · fiscal Q1 2026 10-Q (period ended 2026-03-31) · fiscal Q3 2025 10-Q (period ended 2025-09-30) · fiscal Q2 2025 10-Q (period ended 2025-06-30) · FY2025 10-K (period ended 2025-12-31) · FY2024 10-K (period ended 2024-12-31) · FY2023 10-K (period ended 2023-12-31)

Fundamentals from company filings and market-data providers; prices are end-of-day, not real-time. AI-generated analysis is general and educational — not personal investment advice. Scoring methodology · Score test · Disclaimer