COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
MWA vs XE
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. MWA scored 72.1, XE scored 68.1 — MWA leads.
Compare another set
MWA
MUELLER WATER PRODUCTS
72.1
$24.94 · $3.9B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
4.0
MWA leads
XE
X-Energy, Inc.
68.1
$18.67 · $7.6B
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthXE+12.2%
- Strongest balance sheetXE0.01
- Highest qualityXE98 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
MWA
stronger →← stronger
XE
75
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
98
65
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
80
77
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
40
XE is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
MWA
XE
$180mC
FCF
—
+5.9%C+
Rev
+12.2%B+
0.40B+
D/E
0.01A
17.6xA-
P/E
—
1.02B+
PEG
—
—
P/S
50.5xD
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
MWA
XE
52% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~13%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
—
-33%
1-yr DCF upside
—
-34%
5-yr DCF upside
—
-35%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
MWA
No notable signals flagged.
XE
Why this score
- Short track record
The companies
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.
XEX-Energy, Inc.
Why now
Specialty Industrial Machinery · market cap $7.6b. Down 50% from 52-week high of $37.10 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +12%, comfortably above the S&P median. 7 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $38.00 (implying +104% upside).
Moat
Higher-variance name — the moat signals on the quantitative card are modest, so the durability case rests on execution (turning current growth into durable earnings power) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than an entrenched competitive position.
Risk
Down 50% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. P/S 50.5x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard.
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 MWA and XE diverge
On the headline score the gap is 4.0 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.
- ValueMWA 76.9 · XE 40.0MWA +36.9
- QualityMWA 75.0 · XE 98.3XE +23.3
- GrowthMWA 65.0 · XE 80.3XE +15.3
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.