MLI vs. XYL: Mueller Industries vs. Xylem Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL) are both classified in the Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components sub-industry within the broader Machinery industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL)
Profile Item	MLI	XYL
Name	Mueller Industries, Inc.	Xylem Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	11.54 billion USD	22.44 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 25, 1991	October 13, 2011
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MLI

XYL

GSPC

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	MLI	XYL
Total Return (1Y)	3.68%	-33.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	44.56%	2.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	32.39%	-4.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MLI

XYL

GSPC

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	MLI	XYL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.44%	30.74%
Beta (5Y)	1.01	0.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-27.79%	-44.89%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.61M	2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MLI and XYL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	MLI	XYL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.02	-1.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.02	-1.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 26.26% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Xylem (XYL) at 9.76% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for MLI.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

26.26%

Max: 40.55%
MLI: 26.26%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

9.76%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
XYL: 9.76%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 17.27% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Xylem (XYL) at 11.94%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

17.27%

Max: 27.47%
MLI: 17.27%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

11.94%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
XYL: 11.94%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 19.53% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Xylem (XYL) at 15.95%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

19.53%

Max: 36.60%
MLI: 19.53%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

15.95%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
XYL: 15.95%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	MLI	XYL
ROE (TTM)	26.26%	9.76%
ROA (TTM)	16.23%	5.07%
Net Margin (TTM)	17.27%	11.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)	19.53%	15.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)	27.25%	39.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Mueller Industries (MLI) at 10.87% and Xylem (XYL) at 5.52% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Mueller Industries (MLI) at 29.19% and Xylem (XYL) at 7.40% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	MLI	XYL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.87%	5.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.62%	17.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)	29.19%	7.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.63%	25.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 4.39 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Xylem (XYL) at 1.39 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

4.39

Max: 5.22
MLI: 4.39
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
XYL: 1.39
Min: 0.36

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 0.01 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Xylem (XYL) at 0.29 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

0.01

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
MLI: 0.01
Min: 0.00

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

0.29

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
XYL: 0.29
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	MLI	XYL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	4.39	1.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.01	0.29
Net Debt / EBITDA	-1.31	1.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Mueller Industries (MLI) at 1.24% and Xylem (XYL) at 1.69% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

1.24%

Max: 2.66%
MLI: 1.24%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.69%

Max: 2.66%
XYL: 1.69%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 16.67% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Xylem (XYL) at 37.47% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

16.67%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
MLI: 16.67%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

37.47%

Max: 67.39%
XYL: 37.47%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	MLI	XYL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.24%	1.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	16.67%	37.47%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 13.58 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Xylem (XYL) at 21.69 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for MLI, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

13.58

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
MLI: 13.58
Min: 3.03

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

21.69

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
XYL: 21.69
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Mueller Industries (MLI) at 2.31 and Xylem (XYL) at 2.48 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

2.31

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
MLI: 2.31
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.48

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
XYL: 2.48
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Mueller Industries (MLI) at 0.33 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Xylem (XYL) at 2.19 is valued near its industry’s middle — MLI is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

MLI

Capital Goods industry group

0.33

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
MLI: 0.33
Min: -1.08

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
XYL: 2.19
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Mueller Industries (MLI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Mueller Industries (MLI) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	MLI	XYL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	13.58	21.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.31	2.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	0.33	2.19
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.65%	5.39%