MLI vs WS vs IIIN Stock Comparison

Mueller Industries, Worthington Steel and Insteel Industries Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MLI Mueller Industries Inc
$54.11 -10.3% 1M -48.1% 1Y
Market cap
$11.82B
P/E
13.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.00B
Div. yield
0.01%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
7 wins
WS Worthington Steel, Inc.
$40.81 +17.4% 1M +31.3% 1Y
Market cap
$2.12B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$5.30B
Div. yield
0.02%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
3 wins
IIIN Insteel Industries Inc
$27.74 -6.2% 1M -9.9% 1Y
Market cap
$544.66M
P/E
15.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$707.68M
Div. yield
0.04%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mueller Industries leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Mueller Industries 7, Worthington Steel 3, Insteel Industries 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMLIWSIIINLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.82B $2.12B $544.66M MLI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 13.7x -55.3x 15.0x MLI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 13.0x 10.7x 18.5x WS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +20.8% +69.1% +17.1% WS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.3% -0.7% 5.1% MLI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 22.7% 0.2% — MLI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -1.3x 19.9x — MLI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.02% 0.04% IIIN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -48.1% +31.3% -9.9% WS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +17.1%/yr — -5.3%/yr MLI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 131.8% 47.1% 41.4% IIIN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 85/100 33/100 50/100 MLI

Percentile Scorecard

MLIWSIIIN

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

AxisMLIWSIIIN
Valuation 81 #39 of 203 60 #82 of 203 65 #72 of 203
Growth 66 #64 of 188 32 #128 of 188 23 #145 of 188
Profitability 95 #10 of 187 29 #134 of 187 44 #106 of 187
Financial Health 97 #7 of 222 10 #200 of 222 85 #35 of 222
Shareholder Returns 87 #21 of 153 34 #102 of 153 33 #103 of 153
Overall 85 33 50
  • MLI ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • WS ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • IIIN ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMLIWSIIINSPY
1 month -10.3%+17.4%-6.2% -1.0%
3 months -15.4%+13.4%-15.3% +2.9%
6 months -60.2%+8.1%+9.9% +6.4%
Year to date -52.9%+17.9%-12.4% +11.4%
1 year -48.1%+31.3%-9.9% +13.1%
3 years +49.1%—-1.5% +79.4%
3 years, per year +14.3%—-0.5% +21.5%
5 years +120.1%—-23.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year +17.1%—-5.3% +10.9%
10 years +245.8%—+0.1% +255.2%
10 years, per year +13.2%—+0.0% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureMLIWSIIINSPY
Volatility, 1Y 131.8%47.1%41.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 164.4%49.6%51.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.691.620.96 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.360.67-0.24 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -61.6%-51.5%-49.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -61.6%-16.2%-27.2% -2.5%
52-week high $140.83$48.69$38.11 $779.14
52-week low $54.11$28.10$24.48 $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.

MultipleMLIWSIIIN
P/E now vs peer median 13.6xmedian 25.9x -53.3xmedian 25.9x 14.8xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 1.9x 0.4xmedian 1.9x 0.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.2xmedian 13.7x 41.2xmedian 13.7x 8.0xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 17.1xmedian 21.1x 44.8xmedian 21.1x -55.0xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 2.3x 1.3xmedian 2.3x 1.4xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 1.06median 1.19 1.64median 1.19 -1.40median 1.19

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 monthsMLIWSIIIN
Revenue $5.00B $5.30B $707.68M
Gross profit $1.36B $549.30M $83.27M
Operating income $1.08B $6.30M $46.42M
Net income $871.57M -$56.50M $36.38M
Free cash flow $689.59M $46.70M -$9.76M
EPS (diluted) $3.92 $-0.77 $1.87
Cash & equivalents $1.45B $248.20M $22.95M
Total debt $10.49M $2.89B –
Shares (diluted) 220.12M 50.00M 19.49M
Enterprise value $6.13B $1.60B $452.40M

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
MetricMLIWSIIIN
P/E 13.6x -53.3x 14.8x
P/FCF 17.1x 44.8x -55.0x
P/Operating cash flow 15.3x 10.4x 526.0x
P/S 2.4x 0.4x 0.8x
P/B 3.3x 1.3x 1.4x
P/Tangible book 3.7x 1.3x 1.5x
EV/EBITDA 9.2x 41.2x 8.0x
EV/EBIT 9.6x 641.0x 11.1x
EV/Revenue 2.1x 0.8x 0.7x
EV/FCF 15.0x 86.5x -52.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.4x 20.0x 503.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.06 1.64 -1.40

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMLIWSIIIN
Revenue growth (1Y) 20.8% 69.1% 17.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 11.9% 15.5% 0.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 36.2% 8.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.2% 13.4% -3.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.4% -95.9% 21.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 9.9% -65.2% -8.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.9% -144.9% 16.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 11.4% -34.5% -10.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 16.2% -132.7% 17.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 12.8% -32.5% -10.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 2.1% 18.9% -98.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 3.0% -10.4% -77.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 1.9% 50.2% -118.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.6% -41.1% -29.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMLIWSIIIN
Gross margin 27.3% 10.4% 11.8%
EBITDA margin 22.5% 1.8% 9.1%
Operating margin 21.5% 0.1% 6.6%
Pretax margin 22.8% -0.2% 6.7%
Net margin 17.3% -0.7% 5.1%
FCF margin 13.8% 0.9% -1.4%
Operating cash flow margin 15.4% 3.8% 0.1%
Return on equity 24.5% -4.0% 9.9%
Return on assets 20.4% -1.4% 7.8%
Return on invested capital 22.7% 0.2% –
Return on capital employed 29.7% 0.3% 11.9%
Asset turnover 1.2x 1.3x 1.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x -3.6x 0.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.2% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMLIWSIIIN
Debt / assets 0.1% 36.5% –
Debt / equity 0.0x 1.3x –
Net debt / EBITDA -1.3x 19.9x –
Debt / FCF 0.0x 47.0x –
Liabilities / assets 17.6% 72.8% 21.6%
Equity / assets 82.4% 27.2% 78.4%
Interest coverage 3,260x 0.5x 773.6x
Current ratio 4.4x 1.8x 3.6x
Quick ratio 3.4x 0.8x 1.3x
Cash ratio 2.3x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 13.40 1.54 6.24

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMLIWSIIIN
Dividend yield 1.2% 1.6% 4.0%
Net buyback yield 2.4% – 0.6%
Shareholder yield 3.6% 1.6% 4.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 16.2% -57.9% 59.7%
Payout ratio (FCF) 20.5% 70.0% -222.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 35.7% 2.2% -0.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 30.2% – -19.2%

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.

ConsensusMLIWSIIIN
Forward P/E 13.0xFY2026 10.7xFY2026 18.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.16FY2026 $3.82FY2026 $1.50FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +21.3%FY2026 +71.3%FY2026 -28.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.0% +30.4% +69.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.90BFY2026 $10.90BFY2026 $703.46MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +17.3%FY2026 +217.0%FY2026 +8.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.9% +2.4% +5.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMLIWSIIIN
Held by institutions 95.3% 56.3% 82.1%
Institutions holding 738 238 187
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.5% +1.2% +0.9%
Institutions buying 419 112 122
Institutions selling 226 68 48
Buyers to sellers 1.85 1.65 2.54

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.

MLIWSIIIN
MLI 1.00 0.19 0.07
WS 0.19 1.00 0.33
IIIN 0.07 0.33 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MLI, WS and IIIN?

Mueller Industries (MLI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mueller Industries (MLI) $11.82B, Worthington Steel (WS) $2.12B, Insteel Industries (IIIN) $544.66M.

Which stock is cheaper, MLI, WS and IIIN?

Mueller Industries (MLI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mueller Industries (MLI) 13.7x, Worthington Steel (WS) -55.3x, Insteel Industries (IIIN) 15.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Worthington Steel (WS) is cheapest (Mueller Industries (MLI) 13.0x, Worthington Steel (WS) 10.7x, Insteel Industries (IIIN) 18.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Worthington Steel (WS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Mueller Industries (MLI) +20.8%, Worthington Steel (WS) +69.1%, Insteel Industries (IIIN) +17.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mueller Industries (MLI) has the highest net margin (Mueller Industries (MLI) 17.3%, Worthington Steel (WS) -0.7%, Insteel Industries (IIIN) 5.1%). On return on invested capital, Mueller Industries (MLI) leads (Mueller Industries (MLI) 22.7%, Worthington Steel (WS) 0.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Worthington Steel (WS) returned the most: Mueller Industries (MLI) -48.1%, Worthington Steel (WS) +31.3%, Insteel Industries (IIIN) -9.9%. Over five years, Mueller Industries (MLI) compounded fastest (Mueller Industries (MLI) +17.1%/yr, Insteel Industries (IIIN) -5.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Insteel Industries (IIIN) has the highest dividend yield: Mueller Industries (MLI) 0.01%, Worthington Steel (WS) 0.02%, Insteel Industries (IIIN) 0.04%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Insteel Industries (IIIN) has been the steadiest (Mueller Industries (MLI) 131.8%, Worthington Steel (WS) 47.1%, Insteel Industries (IIIN) 41.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 7. 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.