vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of BELDEN INC. (BDC) and FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP (FSS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
BELDEN INC. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($720.1M vs $597.1M, roughly 1.2× FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP). FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP runs the higher net margin — 10.2% vs 9.4%, a 0.8% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (26.5% vs 8.1%). BELDEN INC. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($121.3M vs $89.5M). Over the past eight quarters, FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP's revenue compounded faster (18.5% CAGR vs 15.9%).
Belden Inc. is an American, multinational, publicly traded company specializing in the design, manufacture, and distribution of end-to-end networking, security and connectivity products. The company serves the Industrial Automation Solutions, Smart Buildings and Broadband & 5G markets.
The Federal Signal Company was an American manufacturer of railway signaling equipment in the early 20th century. It was located in Albany, New York.
BDC vs FSS — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $720.1M | $597.1M |
| Net Profit | $67.9M | $60.8M |
| Gross Margin | 36.6% | 28.4% |
| Operating Margin | 12.2% | 14.0% |
| Net Margin | 9.4% | 10.2% |
| Revenue YoY | 8.1% | 26.5% |
| Net Profit YoY | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| EPS (diluted) | $1.70 | $0.99 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $720.1M | $597.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $698.2M | $555.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $672.0M | $564.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $624.9M | $463.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $666.0M | $472.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $654.9M | $474.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $604.3M | $490.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $535.7M | $424.9M |
| Q4 25 | $67.9M | $60.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | $56.7M | $68.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $61.0M | $71.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $51.9M | $46.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $58.4M | $50.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $53.7M | $53.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $49.0M | $60.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $37.3M | $51.6M |
| Q4 25 | 36.6% | 28.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 37.7% | 29.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 38.5% | 30.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 39.3% | 28.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 37.5% | 28.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 37.3% | 29.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 37.5% | 29.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 37.6% | 27.3% |
| Q4 25 | 12.2% | 14.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 10.9% | 16.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.8% | 17.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 11.6% | 14.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 10.4% | 14.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 11.5% | 16.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 11.4% | 16.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 9.9% | 12.8% |
| Q4 25 | 9.4% | 10.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.1% | 12.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.1% | 12.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.3% | 10.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.8% | 10.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.2% | 11.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.1% | 12.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 7.0% | 12.1% |
| Q4 25 | $1.70 | $0.99 | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.41 | $1.11 | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.53 | $1.16 | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.27 | $0.75 | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.41 | $0.80 | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.30 | $0.87 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.19 | $0.99 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.90 | $0.84 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $389.9M | $63.7M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | $564.6M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.3B | $1.4B |
| Total Assets | $3.5B | $2.4B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.41× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $389.9M | $63.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $314.3M | $54.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $301.5M | $64.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $259.0M | $57.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $370.3M | $91.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $323.0M | $73.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $564.8M | $48.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $506.8M | $48.9M |
| Q4 25 | — | $564.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $201.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $258.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $266.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $204.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $223.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $248.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $266.8M |
| Q4 25 | $1.3B | $1.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.2B | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.2B | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.2B | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.3B | $1.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.2B | $1.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.2B | $1.1B | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.2B | $1.0B |
| Q4 25 | $3.5B | $2.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.4B | $1.9B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.4B | $1.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.3B | $1.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.3B | $1.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.3B | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.5B | $1.7B | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.1B | $1.7B |
| Q4 25 | — | 0.41× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.15× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.20× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.22× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.17× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.19× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.23× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 0.26× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $160.4M | $97.2M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $121.3M | $89.5M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 16.8% | 15.0% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 5.4% | 1.3% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 2.36× | 1.60× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $218.7M | $227.1M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $160.4M | $97.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $105.0M | $61.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $82.0M | $59.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $7.4M | $36.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $174.7M | $90.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $91.7M | $68.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $83.0M | $40.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.7M | $31.3M |
| Q4 25 | $121.3M | $89.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $65.3M | $54.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $56.9M | $52.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-24.8M | $31.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $116.4M | $82.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $67.2M | $60.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $61.0M | $24.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-21.5M | $22.9M |
| Q4 25 | 16.8% | 15.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.4% | 9.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.5% | 9.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | -4.0% | 6.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 17.5% | 17.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 10.3% | 12.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.1% | 5.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | -4.0% | 5.4% |
| Q4 25 | 5.4% | 1.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.7% | 1.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.7% | 1.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 5.2% | 1.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.8% | 1.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.7% | 1.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.6% | 3.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 4.5% | 2.0% |
| Q4 25 | 2.36× | 1.60× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.85× | 0.90× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.34× | 0.84× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.14× | 0.79× | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.99× | 1.81× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.71× | 1.28× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.69× | 0.67× | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.07× | 0.61× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
BDC
| Automation Solutions Segment | $397.7M | 55% |
| Broadband Solutions | $164.8M | 23% |
| Smart Buildings Solutions | $157.7M | 22% |
FSS
| Vehiclesandequipment | $403.4M | 68% |
| Parts | $66.8M | 11% |
| Publicsafetyandsecurityequipment | $62.2M | 10% |
| Rentalincome | $19.0M | 3% |
| Industrialsignalingequipment | $18.2M | 3% |
| Other | $14.9M | 2% |
| Warningsystems | $12.6M | 2% |
