COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
BLBD vs MWA
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. BLBD scored 74.4, MWA scored 72.1 — BLBD leads.
Compare another set
BLBD
Blue Bird Corporation
74.4
$61.89 · $2.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
2.3
BLBD leads
MWA
MUELLER WATER PRODUCTS
72.1
$24.94 · $3.9B
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)
BLBD
stronger →← stronger
MWA
86
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
75
50
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
65
96
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
77
BLBD is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
BLBD
MWA
$153mC
FCF
$180mC
+13.5%B+
Rev
+5.9%C+
0.18A-
D/E
0.40B+
7.3xA
P/E
17.6xA-
—
PEG
1.02B+
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
BLBD
MWA
23% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
52% above
~6%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~13%/yr
-15%
1-yr DCF upside
-33%
-19%
5-yr DCF upside
-34%
-24%
10-yr DCF upside
-35%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
BLBD
Why this score
- Durable high returns
- Cyclical growth
MWA
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
BLBDBlue Bird Corporation
Why now
Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery · market cap $2.0b. Down 26% 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 +44% 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.
MWAMUELLER WATER PRODUCTS
Why now
Specialty Industrial Machinery · market cap $3.9b. 20% off the 52-week high of $31.00. 6 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $31.00 (implying +24% upside).
Moat
Net margin 15% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 20% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
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.
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 BLBD and MWA diverge
On the headline score the gap is 2.3 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.
- ValueBLBD 96.1 · MWA 76.9BLBD +19.2
- GrowthBLBD 50.0 · MWA 65.0MWA +15.0
- QualityBLBD 85.9 · MWA 75.0BLBD +10.9
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.