MUELLER INDUSTRIES INC vs Steel Dynamics, Inc., two Steel stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Mueller Industries fabricates copper products at a 25.2% return on equity and 19.37% margins; Steel Dynamics rolls steel at 14.97% and 7.22%, and the copper maker earns the richer economics. Mueller trades cheaper on earnings, 16.8 times against 26.3, converts more free cash, 4.59% against 1.86%, and runs debt-free against Steel Dynamics's 0.46 turns. Steel Dynamics is the larger and trades at 3.89 times book against Mueller's 4.23. The comparison holds a high-return copper fabricator against an efficient steel mill: Mueller's plumbing-and-HVAC niche earns fatter margins and throws off more cash on a cleaner balance sheet, Steel Dynamics offers scale in commodity steel, and on the numbers Mueller is the stronger, cheaper business.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | MLI | STLD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $128.20 | $245.54 |
| Market cap | $14.2B | $35.7B |
| Sector | Steel | Steel |
| Stage | Cyclical | Cyclical |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +10.8% | — |
| P/E | 16.8 | 26.3 |
| P/B | 4.23 | 3.89 |
| P/S | 3.25 | 1.88 |
| EV/EBITDA | 11.3 | 17.0 |
| Revenue growth | +11.4% | +10.7% |
| Gross margin | — | 14.7% |
| Operating margin | 26.2% | 10.3% |
| Net margin | 19.4% | 7.2% |
| Return on equity | 25.2% | 15.0% |
| Return on assets | 21.5% | 8.2% |
| Return on invested capital | 25.0% | 10.1% |
| FCF yield | 4.6% | 1.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.46 |
| Current ratio | 5.35 | 3.13 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 9.44 | 5.74 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 7 / 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.