COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
HLIO vs MWA
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. HLIO scored 67.8, MWA scored 72.1 — MWA leads.
Compare another set
HLIO
Helios Technologies, Inc.
67.8
$76.18 · $2.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
4.3
MWA leads
MWA
MUELLER WATER PRODUCTS
72.1
$24.94 · $3.9B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestMWA17.6x
- Fastest growthHLIO+14.0%
- Strongest balance sheetHLIO0.37
- Highest qualityMWA75 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
HLIO
stronger →← stronger
MWA
59
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
75
83
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
65
63
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
77
MWA is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
HLIO
MWA
$107mC
FCF
$180mC
+14.0%B+
Rev
+5.9%C+
0.37B+
D/E
0.40B+
35.6xC+
P/E
17.6xA-
1.03B+
PEG
1.02B+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
HLIO
MWA
67% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
52% above
~20%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~13%/yr
-45%
1-yr DCF upside
-33%
-40%
5-yr DCF upside
-34%
-33%
10-yr DCF upside
-35%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
HLIO
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
MWA
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
HLIOHelios Technologies, Inc.
Why now
Specialty Industrial Machinery · market cap $2.5b. 20% off the 52-week high of $95.05. Revenue growing +14%, comfortably above the S&P median. 6 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $90.17 (implying +18% upside).
Moat
FCF converts 150% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 36x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates. ROE 8% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
MWAMUELLER WATER PRODUCTS
Why now
Specialty Industrial Machinery · market cap $3.9b. 20% off the 52-week high of $31.00. 6 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $31.00 (implying +24% upside).
Moat
Net margin 15% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 20% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where HLIO and MWA diverge
On the headline score the gap is 4.3 points in favor of MWA. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- GrowthHLIO 83.0 · MWA 65.0HLIO +18.0
- QualityHLIO 59.4 · MWA 75.0MWA +15.6
- ValueHLIO 63.1 · MWA 76.9MWA +13.8
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.