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Side-by-side financial comparison of INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC (IIIN) and Strategic Education, Inc. (STRA). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Strategic Education, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($305.9M vs $159.9M, roughly 1.9× INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC). Strategic Education, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 10.7% vs 4.7%, a 6.0% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (23.3% vs 0.8%). Strategic Education, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($77.3M vs $-2.2M). Over the past eight quarters, INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC's revenue compounded faster (12.0% CAGR vs -1.0%).
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.
Strategic Education, Inc. (SEI) is an education services holding company and is formerly known as Strayer Education, Inc. The company owns for-profit, online Capella University and Strayer University, as well as non-degree programs schools such as DevMountain, Hackbright Academy, and Sophia Learning.
IIIN vs STRA — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $159.9M | $305.9M |
| Net Profit | $7.6M | $32.8M |
| Gross Margin | 11.3% | — |
| Operating Margin | 6.0% | 13.4% |
| Net Margin | 4.7% | 10.7% |
| Revenue YoY | 23.3% | 0.8% |
| Net Profit YoY | 602.4% | 10.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.39 | $1.48 |
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.
| Q1 26 | — | $305.9M | ||
| Q4 25 | $159.9M | $323.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $177.4M | $319.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $179.9M | $321.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $160.7M | $303.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $129.7M | $311.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $134.3M | $306.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $145.8M | $312.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $32.8M | ||
| Q4 25 | $7.6M | $37.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $14.6M | $26.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $15.2M | $32.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $10.2M | $29.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1M | $25.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $4.7M | $27.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.6M | $29.9M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| 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 26 | — | 13.4% | ||
| Q4 25 | 6.0% | 16.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 10.8% | 11.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.0% | 14.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.3% | 13.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.1% | 11.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.5% | 11.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.0% | 13.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 10.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 4.7% | 11.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.2% | 8.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.4% | 10.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 6.4% | 9.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.8% | 8.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.5% | 9.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.5% | 9.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.48 | ||
| Q4 25 | $0.39 | $1.65 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.74 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.78 | $1.37 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.52 | $1.24 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.06 | $1.05 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.24 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.34 | $1.24 |
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 | $150.3M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $358.8M | $1.6B |
| Total Assets | $456.1M | $2.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $150.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $15.6M | $148.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $38.6M | $172.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $53.7M | $164.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $28.4M | $182.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $36.0M | $184.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $111.5M | $222.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $97.7M | $256.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 25 | $358.8M | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $371.5M | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $356.2M | $1.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $341.4M | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $331.6M | $1.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $350.9M | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $346.0M | $1.7B |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.1B | ||
| Q4 25 | $456.1M | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $462.6M | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $471.9M | $2.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $421.9M | $2.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $404.7M | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $422.6M | $2.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $414.6M | $2.2B |
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 | $87.4M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-2.2M | $77.3M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -1.4% | 25.3% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.9% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | -0.09× | 2.66× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $439.0K | $173.9M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $87.4M | ||
| Q4 25 | $-701.0K | $39.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-17.0M | $60.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $28.5M | $31.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-3.3M | $67.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $19.0M | $15.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $16.2M | $51.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $18.8M | $24.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $77.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $-2.2M | $27.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-18.7M | $49.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $26.9M | $20.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-5.5M | $57.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $16.3M | $4.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $14.5M | $42.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $15.5M | $13.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | 25.3% | ||
| Q4 25 | -1.4% | 8.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | -10.6% | 15.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 15.0% | 6.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | -3.5% | 18.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 12.6% | 1.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 10.8% | 13.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.7% | 4.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.9% | 3.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.0% | 3.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.9% | 3.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.4% | 3.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.1% | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.3% | 3.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.2% | 3.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 2.66× | ||
| Q4 25 | -0.09× | 1.03× | ||
| Q3 25 | -1.17× | 2.26× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.88× | 0.97× | ||
| Q1 25 | -0.32× | 2.27× | ||
| Q4 24 | 17.56× | 0.63× | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.48× | 1.86× | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.86× | 0.81× |
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% |
STRA
| U.S. Higher Education | $212.6M | 69% |
| Australia/New Zealand | $51.8M | 17% |
| Education Technology Services | $41.5M | 14% |
