COMPARE · Data as of August 24, 2026
AYI vs BLBD
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AYI scored 69.4, BLBD scored 74.5 — BLBD leads.
Compare another set
AYI
Acuity Inc.
69.4
$336.59 · $10.1B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
5.1
BLBD leads
BLBD
Blue Bird Corporation
74.5
$58.95 · $1.9B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestBLBD7.3x
- Fastest growthBLBD+13.5%
- Strongest balance sheetBLBD0.18
- Highest qualityBLBD86 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AYI
stronger →← stronger
BLBD
78
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
86
76
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
57
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
96
BLBD is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AYI
BLBD
$639mC+
FCF
$153mC
+10.5%B
Rev
+13.5%B+
0.28A-
D/E
0.18A-
22.3xB+
P/E
7.3xA
1.38B
PEG
—
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
AYI
BLBD
15% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
17% above
~10%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~5%/yr
-20%
1-yr DCF upside
-11%
-13%
5-yr DCF upside
-15%
-3%
10-yr DCF upside
-20%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AYI
Why this score
- Buying back stock
BLBD
Why this score
- Durable high returns
- Cyclical growth
The companies
AYIAcuity Inc.
Why now
Electrical Equipment & Parts · market cap $10.1b. 11% off the 52-week high of $380.17. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 7 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $398.29 (implying +18% upside).
Moat
ROE 17% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 135% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
BLBDBlue Bird Corporation
Why now
Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery · market cap $1.9b. Down 29% from 52-week high of $83.39 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +13%, comfortably above the S&P median. 8 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $89.13 (implying +51% upside).
Moat
Net margin 17% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 43% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AYI and BLBD diverge
On the headline score the gap is 5.1 points in favor of BLBD. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- ValueAYI 56.8 · BLBD 96.4BLBD +39.6
- GrowthAYI 75.5 · BLBD 50.0AYI +25.5
- QualityAYI 78.0 · BLBD 85.9BLBD +7.9
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.