Federal Signal vs Greenbrier Companies
Greenbrier Companies reported revenue of $2.5 billion in fiscal 2026, about the same as Federal Signal's $2.2 billion in fiscal 2025. Federal Signal's revenue grew 17.1% in its latest year, and Greenbrier Companies' fell 24.0%. Federal Signal had an operating margin of 15.6%, against 5.8% at Greenbrier Companies. Free cash flow was $227 million at Federal Signal and −$240 million at Greenbrier Companies. Their fiscal years end in different months (December 31 and August 31), so the periods don't line up exactly.
Side by side
| Federal Signal | Greenbrier Companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2025, Dec 31, 2025 | FY2026, Aug 31, 2026 |
| Revenue | $2.2B | $2.5B |
| Revenue growth | 17.1% | −24.0% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | 14.0% | 7.1% |
| Gross margin | 28.9% | 13.6% |
| Operating margin | 15.6% | 5.8% |
| Net margin | 11.3% | 3.2% |
| Free cash flow | $227M | −$240M |
| Free cash flow margin | 10.4% | −9.7% |
| Return on capital | 16.2% | 3.5% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 1.2x | 5.8x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $74M | $56M |
| Change in diluted share count | −0.3% | −1.1% |
| Last close | $113.44 | $41.51 |
| P/E at the last close | 23.5× | 16.7× |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | bought $221,540, sold $3.3 million | sold $492,600 |
| Piotroski F-score | 8 of 9 | — |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Federal SignalGreenbrier Companies
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
Federal SignalGreenbrier Companies
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
Federal SignalGreenbrier Companies
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the Federal Signal and Greenbrier Companies pages.