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Side-by-side financial comparison of JACK IN THE BOX INC (JACK) and KADANT INC (KAI). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
JACK IN THE BOX INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($349.5M vs $271.6M, roughly 1.3× KADANT INC). KADANT INC runs the higher net margin — 10.2% vs -0.7%, a 10.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, KADANT INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (-0.0% vs -25.5%). KADANT INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($44.1M vs $7.3M). Over the past eight quarters, KADANT INC's revenue compounded faster (6.7% CAGR vs -18.6%).
Jack in the Box, Inc. is an American fast food restaurant chain founded on February 21, 1951, by Robert O. Peterson in San Diego, California, where it is headquartered. The chain has over 2,200 locations, primarily serving the West Coast of the United States. Restaurants are also found in large urban areas outside the West Coast, as well as two in Guam. The company also formerly operated the Qdoba Mexican Grill chain until Apollo Global Management bought the chain in December 2017.
Kadant Inc. is a company that was established in 1991, as a partly privately owned subsidiary of Thermo Electron, and partly publicly traded company, and was fully spun out and renamed Kadant in 2001. The company supports papermaking, paper recycling, wood processing, material handling, and other processing industries. Kadant is a multi-national corporation with operations in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
JACK vs KAI — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $349.5M | $271.6M |
| Net Profit | $-2.5M | $27.7M |
| Gross Margin | — | 45.2% |
| Operating Margin | 13.3% | 15.7% |
| Net Margin | -0.7% | 10.2% |
| Revenue YoY | -25.5% | -0.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | -107.3% | -12.2% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.13 | $2.35 |
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 | $349.5M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $271.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $336.7M | $255.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $371.1M | $239.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $258.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $271.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $365.3M | $274.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $487.5M | $249.0M |
| Q1 26 | $-2.5M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $27.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-142.2M | $26.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $33.7M | $24.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $24.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $31.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $25.0M | $31.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $38.7M | $24.7M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 45.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 45.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 46.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 43.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 44.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 44.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 44.6% |
| Q1 26 | 13.3% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 15.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | -46.7% | 15.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 19.0% | 14.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 14.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 18.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 14.8% | 17.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | 16.3% | 14.8% |
| Q1 26 | -0.7% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 10.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | -42.2% | 10.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 9.1% | 10.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 9.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 11.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.8% | 11.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 7.9% | 9.9% |
| Q1 26 | $-0.13 | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $2.35 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-7.47 | $2.22 | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.75 | $2.04 | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $2.04 | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $2.68 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.26 | $2.66 | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.93 | $2.10 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | — | $124.5M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $1.6B | $254.6M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $-936.0M | $949.8M |
| Total Assets | $2.0B | $1.5B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.27× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $124.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $95.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $91.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $94.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $88.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $73.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $81.4M |
| Q1 26 | $1.6B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $254.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.7B | $245.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.7B | $273.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $285.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $323.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.7B | $342.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.7B | $306.8M |
| Q1 26 | $-936.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $949.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-976.2M | $926.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-827.1M | $876.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $847.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $851.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-702.6M | $807.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-708.2M | $782.7M |
| Q1 26 | $2.0B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $1.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.6B | $1.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.8B | $1.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $1.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $1.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.9B | $1.5B | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.9B | $1.4B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.27× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.27× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.31× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.34× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.38× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.42× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 0.39× |
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 | $30.5M | $47.3M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $7.3M | $44.1M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 2.1% | 16.2% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 6.6% | 1.2% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 1.70× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $34.8M | $145.9M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | $30.5M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $47.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-36.8M | $40.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $105.7M | $22.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $51.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $52.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $16.7M | $28.1M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-22.7M | $22.8M |
| Q1 26 | $7.3M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $44.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-63.2M | $36.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $84.4M | $19.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $46.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $48.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.4M | $23.1M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-61.5M | $16.6M |
| Q1 26 | 2.1% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 16.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | -18.8% | 14.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 22.7% | 7.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 17.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 17.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.8% | 8.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | -12.6% | 6.7% |
| Q1 26 | 6.6% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 1.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.9% | 1.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 5.7% | 1.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 2.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 1.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.8% | 1.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.0% | 2.5% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 1.70× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 1.55× | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.14× | 0.95× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 2.16× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 1.66× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.67× | 0.90× | ||
| Q1 24 | -0.59× | 0.92× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
JACK
| Restaurant Sales | $131.9M | 38% |
| Franchise | $97.4M | 28% |
| Royaltyand Other | $58.9M | 17% |
| Advertising | $56.6M | 16% |
| Technology Service | $4.7M | 1% |
| Franchise Fees | $1.7M | 0% |
KAI
| Flow Control | $94.8M | 35% |
| Capital | $83.2M | 31% |
| Material Handling Systems | $70.3M | 26% |
| Transferred Over Time | $17.1M | 6% |
| Other | $6.1M | 2% |
