MLI vs. RKLB: Mueller Industries vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Mueller Industries (MLI) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but MLI is classified in Machinery while RKLB is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Mueller Industries (MLI) has more than two decades of public-market history since February 25, 1991, whereas Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on November 24, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Mueller Industries (MLI) is closer to market-like at 1.01 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative ROE of -7.92%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Mueller Industries (MLI) reports 26.26%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative net margin of -21.51%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Mueller Industries (MLI) reports 17.27%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative operating margin of -24.57%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Mueller Industries (MLI) reports 19.53%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Mueller Industries (MLI) at 10.87% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RKLB.

Only one side can be read here: Mueller Industries (MLI) reports EPS growth of 29.19%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Mueller Industries (MLI) at 4.39 and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 post current ratio above their industries’ typical mid-ranges — short-term liquidity appears comfortable, though unusually high readings can point to idle current assets.

Both Mueller Industries (MLI) at 0.01 and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 0.04 keep leverage in the lower quartile of their industries, with less balance-sheet debt relative to equity than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Mueller Industries (MLI) reports a yield of 1.24%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Mueller Industries (MLI) reports a payout of 16.67%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Mueller Industries (MLI) trades at 13.58 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 2.31 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 clears its benchmark range — RKLB looks notably rich on sales.

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 0.33 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.

Valuation Metrics