vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP (FSS) and Childrens Place, Inc. (PLCE). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($597.1M vs $339.5M, roughly 1.8× Childrens Place, Inc.). FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP runs the higher net margin — 10.2% vs -1.3%, a 11.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (26.5% vs -13.0%). FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP produced more free cash flow last quarter ($89.5M vs $-3.4M). Over the past eight quarters, FEDERAL SIGNAL CORP's revenue compounded faster (18.5% CAGR vs -13.6%).
The Federal Signal Company was an American manufacturer of railway signaling equipment in the early 20th century. It was located in Albany, New York.
The Children’s Place is a retailer of clothing for children. It sells its products primarily under its proprietary brands The Children’s Place, Gymboree, Sugar & Jade, PJ Place and Crazy 8. The company has about 525 stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, and also sells via two online outlets and through five franchise partners in 15 countries. Its product line includes tops, skirts, dresses, jackets, shoes, bottoms, sleepwear and backpacks. The Children’s Place is headquartered in Secauc...
FSS vs PLCE — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $597.1M | $339.5M |
| Net Profit | $60.8M | $-4.3M |
| Gross Margin | 28.4% | 33.1% |
| Operating Margin | 14.0% | 1.1% |
| Net Margin | 10.2% | -1.3% |
| Revenue YoY | 26.5% | -13.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | 21.6% | -121.5% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.99 | $-0.19 |
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 | $597.1M | $339.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $555.0M | $298.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $564.6M | $242.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $463.8M | $408.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $472.0M | $390.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $474.2M | $319.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $490.4M | $267.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $424.9M | $455.0M |
| Q4 25 | $60.8M | $-4.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $68.1M | $-5.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $71.4M | $-34.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $46.3M | $-8.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $50.0M | $20.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $53.9M | $-32.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $60.8M | $-37.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $51.6M | $-128.8M |
| Q4 25 | 28.4% | 33.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 29.1% | 34.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 30.0% | 29.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 28.2% | 28.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 28.1% | 35.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 29.6% | 35.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 29.4% | 34.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | 27.3% | 21.8% |
| Q4 25 | 14.0% | 1.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 16.9% | 1.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 17.3% | -10.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 14.2% | 1.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 14.9% | 7.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 16.0% | -6.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 16.5% | -10.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 12.8% | -13.6% |
| Q4 25 | 10.2% | -1.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 12.3% | -1.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 12.6% | -14.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 10.0% | -2.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 10.6% | 5.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 11.4% | -10.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 12.4% | -14.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 12.1% | -28.3% |
| Q4 25 | $0.99 | $-0.19 | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.11 | $-0.24 | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.16 | $-1.57 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.75 | $-0.60 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.80 | $1.57 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.87 | $-2.51 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.99 | $-2.98 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.84 | $-10.24 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $63.7M | $7.3M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $564.6M | $107.4M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.4B | $-8.6M |
| Total Assets | $2.4B | $762.5M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.41× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $63.7M | $7.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $54.4M | $7.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $64.7M | $5.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $57.5M | $5.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $91.1M | $5.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $73.7M | $9.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $48.6M | $13.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $48.9M | $13.6M |
| Q4 25 | $564.6M | $107.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $201.2M | $107.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $258.3M | $107.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $266.9M | $166.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $204.4M | $165.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $223.3M | $165.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $248.8M | $166.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $266.8M | $49.8M |
| Q4 25 | $1.4B | $-8.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.3B | $-4.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.3B | $1.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.2B | $-59.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.2B | $-49.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.1B | $-68.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.1B | $-34.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.0B | $-9.0M |
| Q4 25 | $2.4B | $762.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.9B | $805.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.9B | $779.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.9B | $747.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.8B | $888.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.7B | $921.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.7B | $848.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.7B | $800.3M |
| Q4 25 | 0.41× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.15× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.20× | 75.63× | ||
| 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 | $97.2M | $6.2M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $89.5M | $-3.4M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 15.0% | -1.0% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 1.3% | 2.8% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 1.60× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $227.1M | $39.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $97.2M | $6.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $61.1M | $-30.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $59.7M | $-43.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $36.7M | $121.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $90.6M | $-44.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $68.8M | $-83.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $40.6M | $-110.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $31.3M | $135.4M |
| Q4 25 | $89.5M | $-3.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $54.1M | $-31.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $52.4M | $-46.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $31.1M | $121.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $82.1M | $-47.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $60.9M | $-91.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $24.8M | $-115.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $22.9M | $132.2M |
| Q4 25 | 15.0% | -1.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.7% | -10.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.3% | -19.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 6.7% | 29.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 17.4% | -12.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 12.8% | -28.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.1% | -43.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.4% | 29.1% |
| Q4 25 | 1.3% | 2.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.3% | 0.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.3% | 1.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.2% | 0.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.8% | 0.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.7% | 2.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.2% | 1.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 2.0% | 0.7% |
| Q4 25 | 1.60× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.90× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.84× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.79× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.81× | -2.20× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.28× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.67× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.61× | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
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% |
PLCE
| The Childrens Place US | $307.4M | 91% |
| The Childrens Place International | $32.1M | 9% |
| Gift Cards | $1.7M | 1% |
