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Side-by-side financial comparison of LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc (LEE) and NOODLES & Co (NDLS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($130.1M vs $122.1M, roughly 1.1× NOODLES & Co). LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc runs the higher net margin — -4.3% vs -7.5%, a 3.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, NOODLES & Co posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (-4.1% vs -10.0%). LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc produced more free cash flow last quarter ($3.7M vs $-2.8M). Over the past eight quarters, NOODLES & Co's revenue compounded faster (-1.2% CAGR vs -5.8%).
Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 72 daily newspapers in 25 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa.
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.
LEE vs NDLS — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $130.1M | $122.1M |
| Net Profit | $-5.6M | $-9.2M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 4.0% | -5.2% |
| Net Margin | -4.3% | -7.5% |
| Revenue YoY | -10.0% | -4.1% |
| Net Profit YoY | 66.5% | 32.8% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.92 | $-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 | $130.1M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $139.1M | $122.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $141.3M | $123.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $137.4M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $144.6M | $122.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $158.6M | $127.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $150.6M | $121.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $146.6M | $124.3M |
| Q4 25 | $-5.6M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-6.4M | $-9.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-1.9M | $-9.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-12.5M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-16.7M | $-6.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-10.1M | $-13.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-4.3M | $-6.1M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-12.2M | $-6.1M |
| Q4 25 | 4.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | -1.0% | -5.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.3% | -5.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | -3.3% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | -2.3% | -3.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | -2.3% | -9.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.3% | -3.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | -3.1% | -3.7% |
| Q4 25 | -4.3% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | -4.6% | -7.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | -1.4% | -7.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | -9.1% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | -11.6% | -5.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | -6.4% | -10.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | -2.8% | -5.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | -8.3% | -4.9% |
| Q4 25 | $-0.92 | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-1.02 | $-0.20 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-0.31 | $-0.20 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-2.07 | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-2.80 | $-0.15 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-1.68 | $-0.30 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.73 | $-0.14 | ||
| Q1 24 | $-2.06 | $-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 | $12.6M | $4.7M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $-48.7M | $-38.9M |
| Total Assets | $592.6M | $280.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $12.6M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.0M | $4.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1M | $1.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.1M | $3.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.6M | $1.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $13.4M | $1.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $16.1M | $3.0M |
| Q4 25 | $-48.7M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-43.3M | $-38.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-40.5M | $-13.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-38.9M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-26.7M | $3.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-9.9M | $9.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.0M | $21.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.9M | $27.2M |
| Q4 25 | $592.6M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $601.7M | $280.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $622.7M | $319.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $623.9M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $633.0M | $340.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $649.2M | $346.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $677.5M | $360.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $684.8M | $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 | $4.5M | $4.3M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $3.7M | $-2.8M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 2.9% | -2.3% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.6% | 5.8% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.5M | $-7.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $4.5M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-6.3M | $4.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $8.9M | $4.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-790.0K | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-7.3M | $5.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-261.0K | $4.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-1.9M | $7.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.2M | $164.0K |
| Q4 25 | $3.7M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-8.3M | $-2.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $8.3M | $1.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-2.2M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-8.9M | $-1.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-2.9M | $-4.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-5.5M | $-1.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.3M | $-15.2M |
| Q4 25 | 2.9% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | -6.0% | -2.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.9% | 0.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | -1.6% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | -6.1% | -1.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | -1.8% | -3.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | -3.6% | -1.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.9% | -12.2% |
| Q4 25 | 0.6% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.4% | 5.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.4% | 2.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.0% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.1% | 5.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.7% | 7.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.4% | 7.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.3% | 12.3% |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LEE
| Advertising And Marketing Services | $60.0M | 46% |
| Subscription And Circulation | $57.7M | 44% |
| Other | $12.4M | 10% |
NDLS
| Food And Beverage | $119.6M | 98% |
| Franchise | $2.5M | 2% |
