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The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Small-Cap Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Motley Fool. This strategy looks for small cap growth stocks with solid fundamentals and strong price performance.

MUELLER INDUSTRIES INC (MLI) is a mid-cap value stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 59% to 72% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: Mueller Industries, Inc. is a manufacturer of copper, brass, aluminum and plastic products. Its products include copper tube and fittings; line sets; steel nipples; brass rod, bar and shapes; aluminum and brass forgings; aluminum impact extrusions; compressed gas valves; refrigeration valves and fittings; pressure vessels; coaxial heat exchangers and insulated flexible duct systems. It also resells brass and plastic plumbing valves, plastic fittings, malleable iron fittings, faucets, and plumbing specialty products. The Company has three segments. Piping Systems segment is composed of Domestic Piping Systems Group, Great Lakes Copper, European Operations, Trading Group, Jungwoo Metal Ind. Co., LTD and Mueller Middle East WLL. Industrial Metals segment is composed of Brass Rod, Impacts & Micro Gauge, Brass Value-Added Products, and Precision Tube. Climate segment is composed of Refrigeration Products, Westermeyer Industries, Inc., Turbotec Products, Inc., Flex Duct and Linesets, Inc.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.

Detailed Analysis of MUELLER INDUSTRIES INC

MLI Guru Analysis

MLI Fundamental Analysis

ENCORE WIRE CORP (WIRE) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 65% to 72% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: Encore Wire Corporation is a manufacturer of electrical wire and cables, which is used to distribute power from the transmission grid to the wall outlet or switch. The Company offers an electrical building wire product line that consists primarily of NM-B cable, UF-B cable, THHN/THWN-2, XHHW-2, USE-2, RHH/RHW-2 and other types of wire products, including service entrance unarmored (SEU), service entrance cable (SER), photovoltaic, underground residential distribution wire (URD), tray cable, metal-clad and armored cable. The Company sells its products through manufacturers' representatives to wholesale electrical distributors servicing the residential, commercial, industrial, and renewable energy sectors. The Company serves various markets, such as healthcare, data center, airport expansion, military bases, oil and gas, transit, wastewater treatment, school construction, and power generation. The Company's products are made in America at its vertically integrated site, Texas campus.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.

Detailed Analysis of ENCORE WIRE CORP

WIRE Guru Analysis

WIRE Fundamental Analysis

Motley Fool Portfolio

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About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.