IIIN vs MLI vs AZZ Stock Comparison

Insteel Industries, Mueller Industries and Azz Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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IIIN Insteel Industries Inc
$27.00 -10.5% 1M -15.7% 1Y
Market cap
$522.67M
P/E
17.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$739.51M
Div. yield
4.15%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
1 win
MLI Mueller Industries Inc
$52.45 -16.9% 1M -51.4% 1Y
Market cap
$11.43B
P/E
13.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.00B
Div. yield
0.89%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
8 wins
AZZ Azz Inc
$122.24 -13.8% 1M +18.0% 1Y
Market cap
$3.66B
P/E
21.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.75B
Div. yield
0.72%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mueller Industries leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Mueller Industries 8, Azz 3, Insteel Industries 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIIINMLIAZZLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $522.67M $11.43B $3.66B MLI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 17.8x 13.2x 21.9x MLI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 13.2x 13.0x 16.6x MLI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +14.2% +20.8% +9.5% MLI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.0% 17.3% 9.6% MLI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 22.7% 11.4% MLI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — -1.3x 1.2x MLI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 4.15% 0.89% 0.72% IIIN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -15.7% -51.4% +18.0% AZZ
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -8.8%/yr +13.2%/yr +16.5%/yr AZZ
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 42.1% 131.9% 33.2% AZZ
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 56/100 85/100 58/100 MLI

Percentile Scorecard

IIINMLIAZZ

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisIIINMLIAZZ
Valuation 90 #21 of 204 81 #40 of 204 80 #41 of 204
Growth 31 #132 of 191 68 #61 of 191 62 #74 of 191
Profitability 45 #105 of 189 95 #10 of 189 72 #54 of 189
Financial Health 89 #25 of 221 97 #7 of 221 55 #101 of 221
Shareholder Returns 26 #118 of 159 84 #26 of 159 22 #124 of 159
Overall 56 85 58
  • IIIN ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • MLI ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • AZZ ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodIIINMLIAZZSPY
1 month -10.5%-16.9%-13.8% -5.9%
3 months -16.5%-24.5%-19.0% -4.6%
6 months -0.4%-61.9%-15.2% +0.2%
Year to date -14.7%-54.3%+14.1% +7.5%
1 year -15.7%-51.4%+18.0% +8.2%
3 years -10.4%+34.1%+155.7% +68.3%
3 years, per year -3.6%+10.3%+36.8% +19.0%
5 years -37.0%+85.9%+114.1% +56.5%
5 years, per year -8.8%+13.2%+16.5% +9.4%
10 years +1.8%+249.0%+132.2% +251.5%
10 years, per year +0.2%+13.3%+8.8% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureIIINMLIAZZSPY
Volatility, 1Y 42.1%131.9%33.2% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 52.0%163.9%32.9% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.050.741.17 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.37-0.390.54 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.9%-62.8%-46.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -29.2%-62.8%-23.7% -5.9%
52-week high $38.11$140.83$160.17 $779.14
52-week low $24.48$52.45$97.64 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleIIINMLIAZZ
P/E now vs peer median 17.8xmedian 23.4x 13.2xmedian 23.4x 21.9xmedian 23.4x
P/S now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 1.7x 2.3xmedian 1.7x 2.1xmedian 1.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.8xmedian 13.4x 8.8xmedian 13.4x 10.8xmedian 13.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 21.0xmedian 21.9x 16.6xmedian 21.9x 17.1xmedian 21.9x
P/B now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 2.1x 3.2xmedian 2.1x 2.6xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median -5.99median 1.02 1.03median 1.02 0.25median 1.02

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsIIINMLIAZZ
Revenue $739.51M $5.00B $1.75B
Gross profit $75.68M $1.36B $423.83M
Operating income $37.57M $1.08B $287.42M
Net income $29.55M $871.57M $167.46M
Free cash flow $24.84M $689.59M $214.45M
EPS (diluted) $1.51 $3.92 $5.56
Cash & equivalents $37.48M $1.45B $1.95M
Total debt – $5.24M $468.47M
Shares (diluted) 19.52M 220.12M 30.12M
Enterprise value $431.56M $5.78B $3.65B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricIIINMLIAZZ
P/E 17.8x 13.2x 21.9x
P/FCF 21.0x 16.6x 17.1x
P/Operating cash flow 14.3x 14.8x 12.5x
P/S 0.7x 2.3x 2.1x
P/B 1.4x 3.2x 2.6x
P/Tangible book 1.4x 3.6x 3.7x
EV/EBITDA 8.8x 8.8x 10.8x
EV/EBIT 12.9x 9.3x 14.3x
EV/Revenue 0.7x 2.0x 2.4x
EV/FCF 19.5x 14.4x 19.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.2x 12.9x 14.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -5.99 1.03 0.25

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIIINMLIAZZ
Revenue growth (1Y) 14.2% 20.8% 9.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.4% 11.9% 5.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -19.0% 11.7% 11.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 9.2% 8.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) -27.9% 12.4% 21.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.7% 9.9% 11.4%
Net income growth (1Y) -28.0% 14.9% -46.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -3.0% 11.4% 99.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -27.8% 16.2% -46.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -3.0% 12.8% 87.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 34.8% 2.1% -42.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -36.4% 3.0% 20.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 31.1% 1.9% -47.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -39.4% 1.6% 35.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIIINMLIAZZ
Gross margin 10.2% 27.3% 24.3%
EBITDA margin 7.5% 22.5% 21.8%
Operating margin 5.1% 21.5% 16.5%
Pretax margin 5.2% 22.8% 12.9%
Net margin 4.0% 17.3% 9.6%
FCF margin 3.4% 13.8% 12.3%
Operating cash flow margin 5.0% 15.4% 16.7%
Return on equity 7.9% 24.5% 12.0%
Return on assets 6.2% 20.4% 7.3%
Return on invested capital – 22.7% 11.4%
Return on capital employed 9.4% 29.7% 14.1%
Asset turnover 1.5x 1.2x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 0.9x 1.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 0.6% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIIINMLIAZZ
Debt / assets – 0.1% 20.0%
Debt / equity – 0.0x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – -1.3x 1.2x
Debt / FCF – 0.0x 2.2x
Liabilities / assets 21.0% 17.6% 39.5%
Equity / assets 79.0% 82.4% 60.5%
Interest coverage 596.3x 3,260x 6.3x
Current ratio 3.7x 4.4x 1.8x
Quick ratio 1.6x 3.4x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.5x 2.3x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 6.21 13.11 4.22

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIIINMLIAZZ
Dividend yield 4.1% 0.9% 0.7%
Net buyback yield 0.6% 2.4% –
Shareholder yield 4.8% 3.3% 0.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 73.5% 16.2% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 87.5% 20.5% –
Dividend growth (1Y) -0.2% 35.7% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -19.2% 30.2% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusIIINMLIAZZ
Forward P/E 13.2xFY2027 13.0xFY2026 16.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.05FY2027 $4.03FY2026 $7.37FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.8%FY2027 +17.5%FY2026 +19.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.8% +10.2% +12.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $759.46MFY2027 $5.04BFY2026 $1.97BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +2.7%FY2027 +20.5%FY2026 +19.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +4.4% +10.9% -8.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIIINMLIAZZ
Held by institutions 82.1% 95.3% 94.6%
Institutions holding 187 741 364
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.9% +6.5% +1.1%
Institutions buying 122 419 196
Institutions selling 48 228 119
Buyers to sellers 2.54 1.84 1.65

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

IIINMLIAZZ
IIIN 1.00 0.07 0.38
MLI 0.07 1.00 0.25
AZZ 0.38 0.25 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IIIN, MLI and AZZ?

Mueller Industries (MLI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Insteel Industries (IIIN) $522.67M, Mueller Industries (MLI) $11.43B, Azz (AZZ) $3.66B.

Which stock is cheaper, IIIN, MLI and AZZ?

Mueller Industries (MLI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Insteel Industries (IIIN) 17.8x, Mueller Industries (MLI) 13.2x, Azz (AZZ) 21.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mueller Industries (MLI) is cheapest (Insteel Industries (IIIN) 13.2x, Mueller Industries (MLI) 13.0x, Azz (AZZ) 16.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Mueller Industries (MLI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Insteel Industries (IIIN) +14.2%, Mueller Industries (MLI) +20.8%, Azz (AZZ) +9.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mueller Industries (MLI) has the highest net margin (Insteel Industries (IIIN) 4.0%, Mueller Industries (MLI) 17.3%, Azz (AZZ) 9.6%). On return on invested capital, Mueller Industries (MLI) leads (Mueller Industries (MLI) 22.7%, Azz (AZZ) 11.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Azz (AZZ) returned the most: Insteel Industries (IIIN) -15.7%, Mueller Industries (MLI) -51.4%, Azz (AZZ) +18.0%. Over five years, Azz (AZZ) compounded fastest (Insteel Industries (IIIN) -8.8%/yr, Mueller Industries (MLI) +13.2%/yr, Azz (AZZ) +16.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Insteel Industries (IIIN) has the highest dividend yield: Insteel Industries (IIIN) 4.15%, Mueller Industries (MLI) 0.89%, Azz (AZZ) 0.72%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Azz (AZZ) has been the steadiest (Insteel Industries (IIIN) 42.1%, Mueller Industries (MLI) 131.9%, Azz (AZZ) 33.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, IIIN, MLI and AZZ?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mueller Industries (MLI) leads on 8. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.