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Side-by-side financial comparison of INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC (IIIN) and NOODLES & Co (NDLS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($159.9M vs $122.1M, roughly 1.3× NOODLES & Co). INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC runs the higher net margin — 4.7% vs -7.5%, a 12.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (23.3% vs -4.1%). INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($-2.2M vs $-2.8M). Over the past eight quarters, INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC's revenue compounded faster (12.0% CAGR vs -1.2%).
Insteel Industries Inc is a leading U.S. manufacturer of steel reinforcing products including welded wire reinforcement and steel fibers. It primarily serves non-residential construction, infrastructure, and precast concrete segments across North America, delivering high-performance reinforcement solutions for various construction projects.
Noodles & Company is an American fast-casual restaurant that offers international and American noodle dishes in addition to soups and salads. Noodles & Company was founded in 1995 by Aaron Kennedy and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company went public in 2013 and recorded a $457 million revenue in 2017. In mid-2022, there were 458 Noodles & Company locations across 31 states.
IIIN vs NDLS — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2025
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $159.9M | $122.1M |
| Net Profit | $7.6M | $-9.2M |
| Gross Margin | 11.3% | — |
| Operating Margin | 6.0% | -5.2% |
| Net Margin | 4.7% | -7.5% |
| Revenue YoY | 23.3% | -4.1% |
| Net Profit YoY | 602.4% | 32.8% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.39 | $-0.20 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $159.9M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $177.4M | $122.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $179.9M | $123.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $160.7M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $129.7M | $122.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $134.3M | $127.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $145.8M | $121.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $127.4M | $124.3M |
| Q4 25 | $7.6M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $14.6M | $-9.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $15.2M | $-9.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $10.2M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1M | $-6.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $4.7M | $-13.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.6M | $-6.1M | ||
| Q1 24 | $6.9M | $-6.1M |
| Q4 25 | 11.3% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 16.1% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 17.1% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 15.3% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.3% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 9.1% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.6% | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 12.3% | — |
| Q4 25 | 6.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 10.8% | -5.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.0% | -5.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.3% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.1% | -3.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.5% | -9.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.0% | -3.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 7.0% | -3.7% |
| Q4 25 | 4.7% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.2% | -7.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.4% | -7.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 6.4% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.8% | -5.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.5% | -10.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.5% | -5.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.4% | -4.9% |
| Q4 25 | $0.39 | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.74 | $-0.20 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.78 | $-0.20 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.52 | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.06 | $-0.15 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.24 | $-0.30 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.34 | $-0.14 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.35 | $-1.64 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $15.6M | $4.7M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $358.8M | $-38.9M |
| Total Assets | $456.1M | $280.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $15.6M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $38.6M | $4.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $53.7M | $1.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $28.4M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $36.0M | $3.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $111.5M | $1.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $97.7M | $1.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $83.9M | $3.0M |
| Q4 25 | $358.8M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $371.5M | $-38.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $356.2M | $-13.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $341.4M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $331.6M | $3.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $350.9M | $9.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $346.0M | $21.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $340.6M | $27.2M |
| Q4 25 | $456.1M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $462.6M | $280.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $471.9M | $319.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $421.9M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $404.7M | $340.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $422.6M | $346.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $414.6M | $360.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $397.2M | $368.1M |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $-701.0K | $4.3M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-2.2M | $-2.8M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -1.4% | -2.3% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.9% | 5.8% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | -0.09× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $439.0K | $-7.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $-701.0K | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-17.0M | $4.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $28.5M | $4.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-3.3M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $19.0M | $5.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $16.2M | $4.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $18.8M | $7.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.4M | $164.0K |
| Q4 25 | $-2.2M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-18.7M | $-2.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $26.9M | $1.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-5.5M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $16.3M | $-1.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $14.5M | $-4.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $15.5M | $-1.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-580.0K | $-15.2M |
| Q4 25 | -1.4% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | -10.6% | -2.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 15.0% | 0.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | -3.5% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 12.6% | -1.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 10.8% | -3.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.7% | -1.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | -0.5% | -12.2% |
| Q4 25 | 0.9% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.0% | 5.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.9% | 2.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.4% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.1% | 5.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.3% | 7.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.2% | 7.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.5% | 12.3% |
| Q4 25 | -0.09× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | -1.17× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.88× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | -0.32× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 17.56× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.48× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.86× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.20× | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
IIIN
| Welded Wire Reinforcement | $108.4M | 68% |
| PC Strand | $51.6M | 32% |
NDLS
| Food And Beverage | $119.6M | 98% |
| Franchise | $2.5M | 2% |