Mueller Industries
MLI on NYSE. Mueller sells copper, brass, and aluminum products and plumbing. Market value $13.9bn.
Price checks use the past 12 months to June 2026. Quality checks use five annual reports, the latest for the year to December 2025.
We can't read total debt from the filing, so debt is left out.
Should I look at this?
Worth a closer look
Why it could be worth it
What to watch out for
Nothing stood out in the numbers we check.
This is not advice. Check the numbers below.
For every $100 of what the whole company costs, it produced $4.78 of spare cash in the past 12 months. A savings account pays about $4.
You pay 11.7 years of operating profit for the business. The average large US company costs around 18.
Each dollar kept in the business earns 48 cents a year. Above 10 is good.
Quality score: 90 of 100. Price score: 93 of 100. Our list needs 70 on quality and 60 on price.
$62.97 a share, 30% above its 1-year low
Over the past year the price has ranged from $48.26 to $71.12.
Dividend: 0.8% a year
Paid every year for at least 5 years
Payouts have jumped around in recent years, so this may not repeat.
Prices from Monday’s close (5 October).
Five years of cash, in billions
| Revenue | |||||
| Revenue | $3.8bn | $4.0bn | $3.4bn | $3.8bn | $4.2bn |
| Operating margin | |||||
| Operating margin | 17.4% | 22.0% | 22.1% | 20.4% | 22.9% |
| Debt to equity | |||||
| Debt to equity | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | n/a |
| Shares outstanding | |||||
| Shares outstanding | 0.06bn | 0.11bn | 0.11bn | 0.11bn | 0.22bn |
Health checks
- Free cash flow positive5 of 5 years
- Accounting looks honest (Beneish)Not enough data
- Financial strength (Piotroski)6 of 8 checks we could run
- Profit backed by cash (accruals)Yes
- DebtUnknown
- Revenue growth, five yearsStrong, 11.7% a year
- Buying back its own sharesNo, 289% more shares since 2021
The quarter to June 2026
How the business did, compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Sales: $1.4 billion last quarter, up 25% on a year ago.
- Profit: $250 million, up 2% on a year ago.
- It keeps 23 cents of each $1 of sales as operating profit, up from 22 cents a year earlier.
- Spare cash over the past 12 months: $666 million, up from $590 million.
- About the same number of shares as a year ago.
- It has $1.4 billion more cash than debt, up from $1 billion a year ago.
- Sales grew on a year ago in each of the last 4 quarters.
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $998m |
| December 2024 | $924m |
| March 2025 | $1.0bn |
| June 2025 | $1.1bn |
| September 2025 | $1.1bn |
| December 2025 | $962m |
| March 2026 | $1.2bn |
| June 2026 | $1.4bn |
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $169m |
| December 2024 | $138m |
| March 2025 | $157m |
| June 2025 | $246m |
| September 2025 | $208m |
| December 2025 | $154m |
| March 2026 | $239m |
| June 2026 | $250m |
From the company's quarterly reports to the SEC.
Dates
- Next results (estimated)
- n/a
- Last annual report (10-K)
- 25 February 2026
- Next quarterly (estimated, 10-Q)
- 21 October 2026
Who owns it
7 long-term investors we follow own it, unchanged from 7 last quarter. 740 funds in all.
| Fund | Value | Share of that fund | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| GAMCO InvestorsMario Gabelli | $190m | 1.7% | Cut |
| LSV Asset ManagementJosef Lakonishok | $170m | 0.3% | Cut |
| Gotham Asset ManagementJoel Greenblatt | $62m | 0.1% | Added |
| Royce & AssociatesChuck Royce | $13m | 0.1% | Cut |
| GMOJeremy Grantham | $1m | <0.1% | Cut |
| First Manhattan Co.First Manhattan partners | $685,949 | <0.1% | Cut |
| Polen CapitalDan Davidowitz | $317,923 | <0.1% | Added |
Largest holders overall
- BlackRock$1.4bn
- First Trust Advisors LP$840mAdded
- FMR$678mAdded
- Vanguard Capital Management$614m
- Vanguard Portfolio Management$611m
- AQR Capital Management$579mCut
- State Street$437m
- Geode Capital Management$387mAdded
- Invesco$338mAdded
- William Blair Investment Management$244mCut
From 13F filings for the quarter ended 30 June 2026.
Big holders and activists
2 investors own more than 5%.
- BlackRock, Inc.Passive investor8.8%−4.0 ptsSince 30 June 2025
- Vanguard Capital ManagementPassive investor5.2%Since 31 March 2026
- The Vanguard GroupPassive investorSold down below 5%Since 13 March 2026
| Holder | Stake | Since | |
|---|---|---|---|
BlackRock, Inc. Passive investor | 8.8%−4.0 pts | 30 June 2025 | |
Vanguard Capital Management Passive investor | 5.2% | 31 March 2026 | |
The Vanguard Group Passive investor | Sold down below 5% | 13 March 2026 |
From Schedule 13D and 13G filings: anyone owning more than 5% must file one.
What insiders did
No insider bought shares on the open market in the last 12 months. 4 sold $82m.
- GOLDMAN SCOTT JAYDirectorSold
- Date
- 27 August 2026
- Shares
- 2,000
- Price
- $64.08
- Value
- $128,160
- Martin Jeffrey AndrewEVP, CFO & TreasurerSold
- Date
- 13 August 2026
- Shares
- 86,209
- Price
- $67.03
- Value
- $6m
- Christopher Gregory L.Chairman of the Board & CEO, DirectorSold
- Date
- 11 August 2026
- Shares
- 270,000
- Price
- $68.70
- Value
- $19m
- Christopher Gregory L.Chairman of the Board & CEO, DirectorSold
- Date
- 10 August 2026
- Shares
- 70,000
- Price
- $69.08
- Value
- $5m
- HANSEN JOHN BDirectorSold
- Date
- 4 August 2026
- Shares
- 3,444
- Price
- $67.84
- Value
- $233,640
- GOLDMAN SCOTT JAYDirectorSold
- Date
- 29 May 2026
- Shares
- 2,000
- Price
- $127.91
- Value
- $255,820
- Christopher Gregory L.Chairman of the Board & CEO, DirectorSold
- Date
- 27 April 2026
- Shares
- 103,266
- Price
- $137.29
- Value
- $14m
- GOLDMAN SCOTT JAYDirectorSold
- Date
- 13 February 2026
- Shares
- 4,430
- Price
- $118.97
- Value
- $527,037
- HANSEN JOHN BDirectorSold
- Date
- 9 February 2026
- Shares
- 1,000
- Price
- $116.71
- Value
- $116,710
- GOLDMAN SCOTT JAYDirectorSold
- Date
- 25 November 2025
- Shares
- 4,234
- Price
- $108.64
- Value
- $459,982
| Date | Who | Did | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 August 2026 | GOLDMAN SCOTT JAY Director | Sold | 2,000 | $64.08 | $128,160 |
| 13 August 2026 | Martin Jeffrey Andrew EVP, CFO & Treasurer | Sold | 86,209 | $67.03 | $6m |
| 11 August 2026 | Christopher Gregory L. Chairman of the Board & CEO, Director | Sold | 270,000 | $68.70 | $19m |
| 10 August 2026 | Christopher Gregory L. Chairman of the Board & CEO, Director | Sold | 70,000 | $69.08 | $5m |
| 4 August 2026 | HANSEN JOHN B Director | Sold | 3,444 | $67.84 | $233,640 |
| 29 May 2026 | GOLDMAN SCOTT JAY Director | Sold | 2,000 | $127.91 | $255,820 |
| 27 April 2026 | Christopher Gregory L. Chairman of the Board & CEO, Director | Sold | 103,266 | $137.29 | $14m |
| 13 February 2026 | GOLDMAN SCOTT JAY Director | Sold | 4,430 | $118.97 | $527,037 |
| 9 February 2026 | HANSEN JOHN B Director | Sold | 1,000 | $116.71 | $116,710 |
| 25 November 2025 | GOLDMAN SCOTT JAY Director | Sold | 4,234 | $108.64 | $459,982 |
From Form 4 filings: insiders must report trades in their own company's shares within two days.
Warning signs in its filings
Problems the company itself reported to the SEC, in its own words.
None of the warning signs we check for were found.
We look for five warning signs: doubt it can keep going, weak checks on its own accounts, a notice that its past accounts can't be relied on, a change of auditor, and one customer bringing in a big share of sales. We don't check lawsuits, investigations or debt yet.
We checked the auditor's report, internal controls, restatement notices, auditor changes and big customers in the 10-K filed 25 Feb 2026, plus the 10-Q filed 22 Jul 2026 and 7 later 8-Ks.
A 10-K is the yearly report every US company files with the SEC. An 8-K is a short notice of a big event.
What could go wrong
Cheap for a reason is the question the numbers cannot answer.
Whether the price already reflects the risks is what the deep dive is for.
What changed in the risks this year
Companies must list what could hurt them each year. These are the parts that changed since last year’s report.
Enhanced U.S. tariffs, import/export restrictions or other trade barriers may have a negative effect on global economic conditions, financial markets and our business.
Could happenThere is currently significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the U.S. and various other countries with respect to trade policies, treaties, tariffs and taxes. Current or future tariffs imposed by the U.S. may negatively impact our customers’ businesses, thereby causing an indirect negative impact on our sales. For example, during 2025, the U.S. presidential administration threatened or imposed tariffs on imports from various countries, including China, Mexico, and Canada. In response, some of these countries threatened or announced tariffs on imports from the U.S. Further, on February 20, 2026, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling striking down certain tariffs previously imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Following the Supreme Court's decision, the U.S. presidential administration announced its intention to invoke other laws to collect tariffs and announced new tariffs on imports from all countries, in addition to any existing non-IEEPA tariffs. There remains substantial uncertainty regarding the duration of existing and newly announced tariffs, potential changes or pauses to such tariffs, tariff levels, and whether further additional tariffs or other retaliatory actions may be imposed, modified, or suspended, and the impacts of such actions on our business. The extent to which these threats will be enacted and the duration for which enacted tariffs will be in place remain uncertain and could lead to economic decline, which could negatively impact demand for our products and adversely affect our results of operations.
Read moreIncreases in costs and the availability of energy and raw materials used in our products could impact our cost of goods sold and our distribution expenses, which could have a material adverse impact on our operating margins.
Already happenedBoth the costs of raw materials used in our manufactured products (copper, brass, zinc, and aluminum) and energy costs (electricity, natural gas and fuel) have been volatile during the last several years, which has resulted in changes in production and distribution costs. Fluctuations in commodities prices are caused by varied and complex factors beyond our control, including global supply and demand impacted by industry production and inventory levels; global economic and political conditions; national and international regulatory, trade and/or tax policies, including tariffs and other controls or restrictions on imports and exports; current inflation rates and expectations regarding future inflation rates; and the strength of the U.S. dollar compared to foreign currencies. For example, tariffs may impact the total cost of our products and the components and raw materials that go into manufacturing them and could adversely impact the gross margin the Company earns on its products. Fuel and utility costs also have been, and will continue to be, affected by factors outside our control, such as supply and demand for fuel and utility services in both local and regional markets, including increased demand resulting from data center development.
Read more
The deep dive
Everything above is arithmetic on public filings. The deep dive reads the last ten years of annual reports, the proxy statements, and the earnings calls, then argues the case the way Buffett, Klarman, and Hohn would, and checks every claim against the source.
- What the business is worth, as a range, and the margin of safety at today’s price
- Prices to start buying, buy, and buy hard
- The three things that would make this a mistake
- Every number footnoted to the filing it came from
Your first deep dive is free.
Not advice. Numbers on this page come from SEC filings and are updated each night; prices are updated again after the US market closes. The five-year figures are rounded.