MUELLER INDUSTRIES INC vs NUCOR CORPORATION, two Steel stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Mueller Industries and Nucor are both disciplined, well-run American metal producers, but Mueller's copper and brass fabrication earns a 25.2% return on equity against Nucor's 10.34% on steel, and a 19.37% net margin against 6.82%. Mueller trades cheaper on earnings, 16.8 times against Nucor's 23.8, though richer on book, 4.23 against 2.44, and converts far more free cash, 4.59% against 0.97%. Both run clean balance sheets. The pair sets a high-margin copper specialist against the scale champion of US steel: Mueller earns more on every dollar of sales and price, Nucor offers the size and reputation of the country's premier steelmaker, and Mueller's superior current economics make it the quieter bargain here.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | MLI | NUE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $128.20 | $239.59 |
| Market cap | $14.2B | $54.9B |
| Sector | Steel | Steel |
| Stage | Cyclical | Cyclical |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +10.8% | +20.7% |
| P/E | 16.8 | 23.8 |
| P/B | 4.23 | 2.44 |
| P/S | 3.25 | 1.61 |
| EV/EBITDA | 11.3 | 42.5 |
| Revenue growth | +11.4% | +12.3% |
| Operating margin | 26.2% | — |
| Net margin | 19.4% | 6.8% |
| Return on equity | 25.2% | 10.3% |
| Return on assets | 21.5% | 6.5% |
| Return on invested capital | 25.0% | — |
| FCF yield | 4.6% | 1.0% |
| Dividend yield | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Current ratio | 5.35 | 2.90 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 9.44 | 5.01 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.