Lincoln Electric vs Mueller Industries
Lincoln Electric reported revenue of $4.2 billion in fiscal 2025, about the same as Mueller Industries' $4.2 billion in fiscal 2025. Lincoln Electric's revenue grew 5.6% in its latest year, and Mueller Industries' grew 10.9%. Lincoln Electric had an operating margin of 17.0%, against 22.9% at Mueller Industries. Free cash flow was $534 million at Lincoln Electric and $687 million at Mueller Industries. Their fiscal years end in different months (December 31 and December 27), so the periods don't line up exactly.
Side by side
| Lincoln Electric | Mueller Industries | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2025, Dec 31, 2025 | FY2025, Dec 27, 2025 |
| Revenue | $4.2B | $4.2B |
| Revenue growth | 5.6% | 10.9% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | 9.8% | 11.7% |
| Gross margin | 36.2% | — |
| Operating margin | 17.0% | 22.9% |
| Net margin | 12.3% | 18.3% |
| Free cash flow | $534M | $687M |
| Free cash flow margin | 12.6% | 16.4% |
| Return on capital | 24.5% | 40.3% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 1.0x | −1.4x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $506M | $353M |
| Change in diluted share count | −2.3% | −2.2% |
| Last close | $258.65 | $54.37 |
| P/E at the last close | 25.8× | 15.9× |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | sold $8.3 million | sold $50.2 million |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 of 9 | 6 of 8 |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Lincoln ElectricMueller Industries
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
Lincoln ElectricMueller Industries
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
Lincoln ElectricMueller Industries
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the Lincoln Electric and Mueller Industries pages.