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Side-by-side financial comparison of NOODLES & Co (NDLS) 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 $122.1M, roughly 1.4× NOODLES & Co). PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS CO runs the higher net margin — 4.9% vs -7.5%, a 12.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS CO posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (3.6% vs -4.1%). PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS CO produced more free cash flow last quarter ($11.8M vs $-2.8M). Over the past eight quarters, PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS CO's revenue compounded faster (10.8% CAGR vs -1.2%).

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.

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.

NDLS vs PLPC — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
PLPC
PLPC
1.4× larger
PLPC
$173.1M
$122.1M
NDLS
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
PLPC
PLPC
+7.7% gap
PLPC
3.6%
-4.1%
NDLS
Higher net margin
PLPC
PLPC
12.4% more per $
PLPC
4.9%
-7.5%
NDLS
More free cash flow
PLPC
PLPC
$14.6M more FCF
PLPC
$11.8M
$-2.8M
NDLS
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
PLPC
PLPC
Annualised
PLPC
10.8%
-1.2%
NDLS

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Revenue
$122.1M
$173.1M
Net Profit
$-9.2M
$8.4M
Gross Margin
29.8%
Operating Margin
-5.2%
6.8%
Net Margin
-7.5%
4.9%
Revenue YoY
-4.1%
3.6%
Net Profit YoY
32.8%
-19.3%
EPS (diluted)
$-0.20
$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
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$173.1M
Q3 25
$122.1M
$178.1M
Q2 25
$123.8M
$169.6M
Q1 25
$148.5M
Q4 24
$122.8M
$167.1M
Q3 24
$127.4M
$147.0M
Q2 24
$121.4M
$138.7M
Q1 24
$124.3M
$140.9M
Net Profit
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$8.4M
Q3 25
$-9.2M
$2.6M
Q2 25
$-9.1M
$12.7M
Q1 25
$11.5M
Q4 24
$-6.8M
$10.5M
Q3 24
$-13.6M
$7.7M
Q2 24
$-6.1M
$9.4M
Q1 24
$-6.1M
$9.6M
Gross Margin
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
29.8%
Q3 25
29.7%
Q2 25
32.7%
Q1 25
32.8%
Q4 24
33.3%
Q3 24
31.1%
Q2 24
31.9%
Q1 24
31.3%
Operating Margin
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
6.8%
Q3 25
-5.2%
7.4%
Q2 25
-5.2%
10.1%
Q1 25
8.8%
Q4 24
-3.9%
10.5%
Q3 24
-9.0%
7.1%
Q2 24
-3.4%
8.1%
Q1 24
-3.7%
8.2%
Net Margin
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
4.9%
Q3 25
-7.5%
1.5%
Q2 25
-7.3%
7.5%
Q1 25
7.8%
Q4 24
-5.5%
6.3%
Q3 24
-10.7%
5.2%
Q2 24
-5.1%
6.8%
Q1 24
-4.9%
6.8%
EPS (diluted)
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$1.72
Q3 25
$-0.20
$0.53
Q2 25
$-0.20
$2.56
Q1 25
$2.33
Q4 24
$-0.15
$2.13
Q3 24
$-0.30
$1.54
Q2 24
$-0.14
$1.89
Q1 24
$-1.64
$1.94

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$4.7M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$38.3M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$-38.9M
$475.5M
Total Assets
$280.6M
$653.6M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.08×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
Q3 25
$4.7M
Q2 25
$1.4M
Q1 25
Q4 24
$3.3M
Q3 24
$1.8M
Q2 24
$1.3M
Q1 24
$3.0M
Total Debt
NDLS
NDLS
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
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$475.5M
Q3 25
$-38.9M
$466.3M
Q2 25
$-13.9M
$460.7M
Q1 25
$435.8M
Q4 24
$3.7M
$422.3M
Q3 24
$9.6M
$429.0M
Q2 24
$21.9M
$416.2M
Q1 24
$27.2M
$413.4M
Total Assets
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$653.6M
Q3 25
$280.6M
$644.6M
Q2 25
$319.4M
$631.5M
Q1 25
$592.5M
Q4 24
$340.5M
$573.9M
Q3 24
$346.3M
$592.0M
Q2 24
$360.4M
$572.6M
Q1 24
$368.1M
$586.1M
Debt / Equity
NDLS
NDLS
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
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$4.3M
$21.9M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$-2.8M
$11.8M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
-2.3%
6.8%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
5.8%
5.9%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
2.60×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$-7.5M
$33.3M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$21.9M
Q3 25
$4.3M
$18.9M
Q2 25
$4.0M
$26.9M
Q1 25
$5.7M
Q4 24
$5.8M
$24.1M
Q3 24
$4.7M
$9.4M
Q2 24
$7.0M
$28.3M
Q1 24
$164.0K
$5.8M
Free Cash Flow
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
$11.8M
Q3 25
$-2.8M
$8.3M
Q2 25
$1.1M
$18.6M
Q1 25
$-5.3M
Q4 24
$-1.3M
$20.6M
Q3 24
$-4.5M
$5.8M
Q2 24
$-1.6M
$24.6M
Q1 24
$-15.2M
$1.8M
FCF Margin
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
6.8%
Q3 25
-2.3%
4.7%
Q2 25
0.9%
10.9%
Q1 25
-3.6%
Q4 24
-1.1%
12.3%
Q3 24
-3.5%
3.9%
Q2 24
-1.4%
17.7%
Q1 24
-12.2%
1.3%
Capex Intensity
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
5.9%
Q3 25
5.8%
6.0%
Q2 25
2.4%
4.9%
Q1 25
7.4%
Q4 24
5.8%
2.1%
Q3 24
7.2%
2.4%
Q2 24
7.1%
2.7%
Q1 24
12.3%
2.8%
Cash Conversion
NDLS
NDLS
PLPC
PLPC
Q4 25
2.60×
Q3 25
7.21×
Q2 25
2.12×
Q1 25
0.49×
Q4 24
2.30×
Q3 24
1.22×
Q2 24
3.02×
Q1 24
0.60×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

NDLS
NDLS

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

PLPC
PLPC

Segment breakdown not available.

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