vs

Side-by-side financial comparison of INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC (IIIN) and PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS CO (PLPC). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS CO is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($173.1M vs $159.9M, roughly 1.1× INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC). PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS CO runs the higher net margin — 4.9% vs 4.7%, a 0.1% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (23.3% vs 3.6%). PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS CO produced more free cash flow last quarter ($11.8M vs $-2.2M). Over the past eight quarters, INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC's revenue compounded faster (12.0% CAGR vs 10.8%).

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.

Preformed Line Products Co (PLPC) designs, manufactures and supplies engineered hardware for power transmission, telecommunications, and renewable energy infrastructure sectors. It serves utility, network operator and industrial customers across global regions, offering solutions that boost network reliability and operational efficiency.

IIIN vs PLPC — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
PLPC
PLPC
1.1× larger
PLPC
$173.1M
$159.9M
IIIN
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
IIIN
IIIN
+19.7% gap
IIIN
23.3%
3.6%
PLPC
Higher net margin
PLPC
PLPC
0.1% more per $
PLPC
4.9%
4.7%
IIIN
More free cash flow
PLPC
PLPC
$14.0M more FCF
PLPC
$11.8M
$-2.2M
IIIN
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
IIIN
IIIN
Annualised
IIIN
12.0%
10.8%
PLPC

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Revenue
$159.9M
$173.1M
Net Profit
$7.6M
$8.4M
Gross Margin
11.3%
29.8%
Operating Margin
6.0%
6.8%
Net Margin
4.7%
4.9%
Revenue YoY
23.3%
3.6%
Net Profit YoY
602.4%
-19.3%
EPS (diluted)
$0.39
$1.72

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
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$159.9M
$173.1M
Q3 25
$177.4M
$178.1M
Q2 25
$179.9M
$169.6M
Q1 25
$160.7M
$148.5M
Q4 24
$129.7M
$167.1M
Q3 24
$134.3M
$147.0M
Q2 24
$145.8M
$138.7M
Q1 24
$127.4M
$140.9M
Net Profit
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$7.6M
$8.4M
Q3 25
$14.6M
$2.6M
Q2 25
$15.2M
$12.7M
Q1 25
$10.2M
$11.5M
Q4 24
$1.1M
$10.5M
Q3 24
$4.7M
$7.7M
Q2 24
$6.6M
$9.4M
Q1 24
$6.9M
$9.6M
Gross Margin
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
11.3%
29.8%
Q3 25
16.1%
29.7%
Q2 25
17.1%
32.7%
Q1 25
15.3%
32.8%
Q4 24
7.3%
33.3%
Q3 24
9.1%
31.1%
Q2 24
10.6%
31.9%
Q1 24
12.3%
31.3%
Operating Margin
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
6.0%
6.8%
Q3 25
10.8%
7.4%
Q2 25
11.0%
10.1%
Q1 25
8.3%
8.8%
Q4 24
1.1%
10.5%
Q3 24
4.5%
7.1%
Q2 24
6.0%
8.1%
Q1 24
7.0%
8.2%
Net Margin
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
4.7%
4.9%
Q3 25
8.2%
1.5%
Q2 25
8.4%
7.5%
Q1 25
6.4%
7.8%
Q4 24
0.8%
6.3%
Q3 24
3.5%
5.2%
Q2 24
4.5%
6.8%
Q1 24
5.4%
6.8%
EPS (diluted)
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$0.39
$1.72
Q3 25
$0.74
$0.53
Q2 25
$0.78
$2.56
Q1 25
$0.52
$2.33
Q4 24
$0.06
$2.13
Q3 24
$0.24
$1.54
Q2 24
$0.34
$1.89
Q1 24
$0.35
$1.94

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$15.6M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$38.3M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$358.8M
$475.5M
Total Assets
$456.1M
$653.6M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.08×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$15.6M
Q3 25
$38.6M
Q2 25
$53.7M
Q1 25
$28.4M
Q4 24
$36.0M
Q3 24
$111.5M
Q2 24
$97.7M
Q1 24
$83.9M
Total Debt
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$38.3M
Q3 25
$36.0M
Q2 25
$31.8M
Q1 25
$29.1M
Q4 24
$20.8M
Q3 24
$27.2M
Q2 24
$31.6M
Q1 24
$55.0M
Stockholders' Equity
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$358.8M
$475.5M
Q3 25
$371.5M
$466.3M
Q2 25
$356.2M
$460.7M
Q1 25
$341.4M
$435.8M
Q4 24
$331.6M
$422.3M
Q3 24
$350.9M
$429.0M
Q2 24
$346.0M
$416.2M
Q1 24
$340.6M
$413.4M
Total Assets
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$456.1M
$653.6M
Q3 25
$462.6M
$644.6M
Q2 25
$471.9M
$631.5M
Q1 25
$421.9M
$592.5M
Q4 24
$404.7M
$573.9M
Q3 24
$422.6M
$592.0M
Q2 24
$414.6M
$572.6M
Q1 24
$397.2M
$586.1M
Debt / Equity
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
0.08×
Q3 25
0.08×
Q2 25
0.07×
Q1 25
0.07×
Q4 24
0.05×
Q3 24
0.06×
Q2 24
0.08×
Q1 24
0.13×

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
PLPC
PLPC
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$-701.0K
$21.9M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$-2.2M
$11.8M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
-1.4%
6.8%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
0.9%
5.9%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
-0.09×
2.60×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$439.0K
$33.3M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$-701.0K
$21.9M
Q3 25
$-17.0M
$18.9M
Q2 25
$28.5M
$26.9M
Q1 25
$-3.3M
$5.7M
Q4 24
$19.0M
$24.1M
Q3 24
$16.2M
$9.4M
Q2 24
$18.8M
$28.3M
Q1 24
$1.4M
$5.8M
Free Cash Flow
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$-2.2M
$11.8M
Q3 25
$-18.7M
$8.3M
Q2 25
$26.9M
$18.6M
Q1 25
$-5.5M
$-5.3M
Q4 24
$16.3M
$20.6M
Q3 24
$14.5M
$5.8M
Q2 24
$15.5M
$24.6M
Q1 24
$-580.0K
$1.8M
FCF Margin
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
-1.4%
6.8%
Q3 25
-10.6%
4.7%
Q2 25
15.0%
10.9%
Q1 25
-3.5%
-3.6%
Q4 24
12.6%
12.3%
Q3 24
10.8%
3.9%
Q2 24
10.7%
17.7%
Q1 24
-0.5%
1.3%
Capex Intensity
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
0.9%
5.9%
Q3 25
1.0%
6.0%
Q2 25
0.9%
4.9%
Q1 25
1.4%
7.4%
Q4 24
2.1%
2.1%
Q3 24
1.3%
2.4%
Q2 24
2.2%
2.7%
Q1 24
1.5%
2.8%
Cash Conversion
IIIN
IIIN
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
-0.09×
2.60×
Q3 25
-1.17×
7.21×
Q2 25
1.88×
2.12×
Q1 25
-0.32×
0.49×
Q4 24
17.56×
2.30×
Q3 24
3.48×
1.22×
Q2 24
2.86×
3.02×
Q1 24
0.20×
0.60×

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%

PLPC
PLPC

Segment breakdown not available.

Related Comparisons