Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD – Get Free Report) and Lindsay (NYSE:LNN – Get Free Report) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings and dividends.
Risk & Volatility
Blue Bird has a beta of 1.37, suggesting that its stock price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lindsay has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its stock price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Blue Bird and Lindsay, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Blue Bird | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2.89 |
| Lindsay | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
Blue Bird currently has a consensus price target of $85.33, indicating a potential upside of 47.89%. Lindsay has a consensus price target of $119.00, indicating a potential upside of 11.80%. Given Blue Bird’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Blue Bird is more favorable than Lindsay.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Blue Bird and Lindsay”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Blue Bird | $1.48 billion | 1.22 | $127.72 million | $8.22 | 7.02 |
| Lindsay | $635.86 million | 1.70 | $55.65 million | $5.32 | 20.01 |
Blue Bird has higher revenue and earnings than Lindsay. Blue Bird is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lindsay, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
93.6% of Blue Bird shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.9% of Lindsay shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of Blue Bird shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Lindsay shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Profitability
This table compares Blue Bird and Lindsay’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Blue Bird | 17.48% | 39.97% | 18.93% |
| Lindsay | 8.75% | 10.96% | 6.74% |
Summary
Blue Bird beats Lindsay on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Blue Bird
Blue Bird Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells school buses in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Bus and Parts. It offers Type C, Type D, and specialty buses; and alternative power options through its propane powered, gasoline powered, compressed natural gas powered, and electric powered school buses, as well as diesel engines. The company also sells replacement bus parts; and provides financing services and extended warranties related to its products. Blue Bird Corporation sells its products through drop ship and a network of dealers, as well as directly to fleet operators, the United States government, and state governments; independent service centers; and maintains a parts distribution center. Blue Bird Corporation was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Macon, Georgia.
About Lindsay
Lindsay Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides water management and road infrastructure products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Irrigation and Infrastructure. The Irrigation segment manufactures and markets center pivot, lateral move irrigation systems, and irrigation controls under the Zimmatic brand; hose reel travelers under the Perrot brand; and chemical injection systems, variable rate irrigation systems, flow meters, weather stations, soil moisture sensors, and remote monitoring and control systems. It also offers repair and replacement parts for its irrigation systems and controls, and diameter steel tubing; global positioning system positioning and guidance, variable rate irrigation, wireless irrigation management, irrigation scheduling, and smartphone applications; and industrial Internet of Things technology solutions, data acquisition and management systems, and custom electronic equipment for applications under the Elecsys brand. The Infrastructure segment provides Road Zipper System comprised of T-shaped concrete and steel barriers, barrier transfer machine, and variable length barriers which are used for highway reconstruction, paving and resurfacing, road widening, median and shoulder construction, and repairs to tunnels and bridges. Additionally, it offers redirective and non-redirective crash cushions to enhance highway safety at locations such as toll booths, freeway off-ramps, medians and roadside barrier ends, bridge supports, utility poles, and other fixed roadway hazards; specialty barriers; preformed tape and road safety accessory products, as well as rail products, such as signals and lights, structures, foundations, junction boxes, and signs. Lindsay Corporation was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.
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