Which is better, MLI or WTS?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (WTS) currently grades higher than MLI — 71/100 (B grade) vs 60/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — MLI wins on Charlie Munger and Terry Smith; WTS wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, and Joel Greenblatt. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy MLI or WTS?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both MLI and WTS are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is MLI better than WTS for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, WTS currently grades higher — 71/100 vs 60/100, a 11-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between MLI and WTS on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). MLI currently scores 60/100 (C grade); WTS scores 71/100 (B grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, MLI or WTS?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. MLI and WTS are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, MLI or WTS?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are MLI and WTS both Industrials stocks?

Yes — both Mueller Industries, Inc. (MLI) and Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (WTS) operate in the Industrials sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this MLI vs WTS comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Mueller Industries

Watts Water Technologies

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

MLI

Mueller Industries

Market cap

$14.75B

Sector

Industrials

WTS

Watts Water Technologies

Market cap

$10.1B

Sector

Industrials

Overall winner

Watts Water Technologies WTS

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	MLI	WTS	Winner
Warren Buffett	60C	71B	WTS
Benjamin Graham	73B	80A	WTS
Philip Fisher

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	MLI	WTS
Market cap	$14.75B	$10.1B
P/E (TTM)	18.1x	27.3x
EV/EBIT	15.9x	20.7x
ROIC (TTM)	22.01%	15.18%
Gross margin	27.76%	49.25%
Net margin	19.37%	14.32%
Revenue CAGR 5y	2.61%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

MLI leads on

Debt / Equity0.0xvs 0.1x+95%
P/E (TTM)18.1xvs 27.3x+34%
Market cap$14.75Bvs $10.1B+32%
ROIC (TTM)22.01%vs 15.18%

More like MLI

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More like WTS

WTS vs CTAS

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.