Should You Investigate Mueller Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MLI) At US$58.91?

Mueller Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MLI), is not the largest company out there, but it led the NYSE gainers with a relatively large price hike in the past couple of weeks. The recent jump in the share price has meant that the company is trading at close to its 52-week high. As a US$6.6b market-cap stock, it seems odd Mueller Industries is not more well-covered by analysts. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing given that there are less eyes on the stock to push it closer to fair value. Is there still an opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Mueller Industries’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Mueller Industries

What's The Opportunity In Mueller Industries?

Great news for investors – Mueller Industries is still trading at a fairly cheap price according to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. In this instance, we’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. we find that Mueller Industries’s ratio of 11.78x is below its peer average of 22.28x, which indicates the stock is trading at a lower price compared to the Machinery industry. However, given that Mueller Industries’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

What does the future of Mueller Industries look like?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. However, with a relatively muted revenue growth of 8.2% expected in the upcoming year, short term growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for Mueller Industries.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Even though growth is relatively muted, since MLI is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current price multiple.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on MLI for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its future outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy MLI. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to make a well-informed investment decision.

Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Mueller Industries, and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

If you are no longer interested in Mueller Industries, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.