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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

Bigger by revenue
IIIN
IIIN
1.3× larger
IIIN
$159.9M
$122.1M
NDLS
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
IIIN
IIIN
+27.4% gap
IIIN
23.3%
-4.1%
NDLS
Higher net margin
IIIN
IIIN
12.2% more per $
IIIN
4.7%
-7.5%
NDLS
More free cash flow
IIIN
IIIN
$618.0K more FCF
IIIN
$-2.2M
$-2.8M
NDLS
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
IIIN
IIIN
Annualised
IIIN
12.0%
-1.2%
NDLS

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2025

Metric
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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.

Revenue
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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
Net Profit
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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
Gross Margin
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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%
Operating Margin
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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%
Net Margin
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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%
EPS (diluted)
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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.

Cash + ST Investments
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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
Stockholders' Equity
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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
Total Assets
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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.

Operating Cash Flow
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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
Free Cash Flow
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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
FCF Margin
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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%
Capex Intensity
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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%
Cash Conversion
IIIN
IIIN
NDLS
NDLS
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
IIIN

Welded Wire Reinforcement$108.4M68%
PC Strand$51.6M32%

NDLS
NDLS

Food And Beverage$119.6M98%
Franchise$2.5M2%

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