Sifting through countless of stocks in the Machinery industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Mueller Industries, Inc. or Blue Bird Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation

Mueller Industries, Inc. manufactures and sells copper, brass, and aluminum products in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Asia and the Middle East, and Mexico. It operates through three segments: Piping Systems, Industrial Metals, and Climate. The Piping Systems segment offers copper tubes, fittings, line sets, and pipe nipples; resells steel pipe, brass and plastic plumbing valves, malleable iron fittings, faucets, and plumbing specialties. This segment sells its products to wholesalers in the plumbing and refrigeration markets, distributors to the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries, building material retailers, and air-conditioning original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The Industrial Metals segment offers brass, bronze, and copper alloy rods; brass rod, bar, and shapes; cold-form aluminum and copper products; high-volume machining of aluminum, steel, brass, and cast-iron impacts and castings for automotive applications; brass and aluminum forgings; brass, aluminum, and stainless steel valves; fluid control solutions; and gas train assembles; specialty copper, copper alloy, and aluminum tube to OEMs in the industrial, construction, plumbing, refrigeration, utility, telecommunication, and electrical transmission and distribution markets, as well as heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) markets. The Climate segment provides valves, protection devices, and brass fittings; and coaxial heat exchangers and twisted tubes to wholesalers and OEMs in the HVAC and refrigeration markets. This segment also manufactures and distributes high-pressure components and accessories, as well as insulated HVAC flexible duct systems. Mueller Industries, Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Collierville, Tennessee.

Blue Bird Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells school buses in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Bus and Parts. It offers Type C, Type D, and specialty buses; and alternative power options through its propane powered, gasoline powered, compressed natural gas powered, and electric powered school buses, as well as diesel engines. The company also sells replacement bus parts; and provides extended warranties related to its products. Blue Bird Corporation sells its products through drop ship and a network of dealers, as well as directly to fleet operators, the United States government, and state governments; independent service centers; and maintains a parts distribution center. It has a collaboration with Ford Motor Company to create the next generation of F-53/F-59 commercial stripped chassis. Blue Bird Corporation was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Macon, Georgia.

Latest Machinery and Mueller Industries, Inc., Blue Bird Corporation Stock News

As of August 21, 2026, Mueller Industries, Inc. had a $14.0 billion market capitalization, compared to the Machinery median of $3.7 million. Mueller Industries, Inc.’s stock is up 10.1% in 2026, down 4.1% in the previous five trading days and up 37.95% in the past year.

Currently, Mueller Industries, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 16.5. Mueller Industries, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $4.7 billion with a 18.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 25.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.200 per share for the current fiscal year. Mueller Industries, Inc. currently has a 1.1% dividend yield.

As of August 21, 2026, Blue Bird Corporation had a $2.0 billion market cap, putting it in the 53rd percentile of all stocks. Blue Bird Corporation’s stock is up 31.7% in 2026, down 4.5% in the previous five trading days and up 12.08% in the past year.

Currently, Blue Bird Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 7.3. Blue Bird Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.6 billion with a 17.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 29.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.825 per share for the current fiscal year. Blue Bird Corporation does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Mueller Industries, Inc.	MLI	C
Blue Bird Corporation	BLBD	C

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Mueller Industries, Inc. has a Value Score of 45, which is Average. Blue Bird Corporation has a Value Score of 59, which is Average.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Mueller Industries, Inc. or Blue Bird Corporation has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Mueller Industries, Inc. or Blue Bird Corporation is the better investment when it comes to value.

Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Mueller Industries, Inc.	MLI	A
Blue Bird Corporation	BLBD	C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Mueller Industries, Inc. has a Growth Score of 83, which is Very Strong. Blue Bird Corporation has a Growth Score of 45, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: Mueller Industries, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Mueller Industries, Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than Blue Bird Corporation. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Mueller Industries, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Mueller Industries, Inc.	MLI	A
Blue Bird Corporation	BLBD	C

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Mueller Industries, Inc. has a Quality Score of 85, which is Very Strong. Blue Bird Corporation has a Quality Score of 60, which is Average.

The Quality Grade Winner: Mueller Industries, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Mueller Industries, Inc. has a better overall quality grade than Blue Bird Corporation. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Mueller Industries, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation Grades

In addition to Growth, Quality and Value, A+ Investor also provides grades for Momentum and Estimate Revisions.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Mueller Industries, Inc. or Blue Bird Corporation Stock?

Overall, Mueller Industries, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 45, Growth Score of 83 and Quality Score of 85.

Blue Bird Corporation stock has a Value Score of 59, Growth Score of 45 and Quality Score of 60.

Comparing Mueller Industries, Inc. and Blue Bird Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.