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Side-by-side financial comparison of NOODLES & Co (NDLS) and Proto Labs Inc (PRLB). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Proto Labs Inc is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($139.3M vs $122.1M, roughly 1.1× NOODLES & Co). Proto Labs Inc runs the higher net margin — 5.8% vs -7.5%, a 13.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Proto Labs Inc posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (10.4% vs -4.1%). Over the past eight quarters, Proto Labs Inc's revenue compounded faster (5.3% 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.
Protolabs is a company that provides rapid manufacturing of 3D printed, CNC-machined, sheet metal, and injection-molded custom parts for prototyping and production. Markets like medical devices, aerospace, electronics, appliances, automotive and consumer products use these parts. Protolabs' headquarters are located in Maple Plain, Minnesota, with Minnesota-based manufacturing facilities in Plymouth, Brooklyn Park, and Rosemount, along with additional facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire and Ca...
NDLS vs PRLB — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $122.1M | $139.3M |
| Net Profit | $-9.2M | $8.1M |
| Gross Margin | — | 45.6% |
| Operating Margin | -5.2% | 7.1% |
| Net Margin | -7.5% | 5.8% |
| Revenue YoY | -4.1% | 10.4% |
| Net Profit YoY | 32.8% | 125.4% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.20 | $0.29 |
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 | — | $139.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $136.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $122.1M | $135.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $123.8M | $135.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $126.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $122.8M | $121.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $127.4M | $125.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $121.4M | $125.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | $8.1M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-9.2M | $7.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-9.1M | $4.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $3.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-6.8M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $-13.6M | $7.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-6.1M | $4.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | 45.6% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 44.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 45.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 44.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 44.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 42.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 45.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 45.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | 7.1% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 5.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | -5.2% | 6.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | -5.2% | 3.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 3.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | -3.9% | -1.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | -9.0% | 6.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | -3.4% | 4.8% |
| Q1 26 | — | 5.8% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | -7.5% | 5.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | -7.3% | 3.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 2.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | -5.5% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | -10.7% | 5.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | -5.1% | 3.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | $0.29 | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $0.25 | ||
| Q3 25 | $-0.20 | $0.30 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-0.20 | $0.18 | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $0.15 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-0.15 | $-0.01 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-0.30 | $0.29 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.14 | $0.18 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $4.7M | $124.0M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $-38.9M | $683.1M |
| Total Assets | $280.6M | $778.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $124.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $128.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.7M | $119.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.4M | $103.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $96.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.3M | $103.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.8M | $100.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.3M | $112.9M |
| Q1 26 | — | $683.1M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $673.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-38.9M | $664.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-13.9M | $664.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $656.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.7M | $670.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.6M | $680.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $21.9M | $685.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | $778.6M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $763.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $280.6M | $756.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $319.4M | $743.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $737.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $340.5M | $743.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $346.3M | $753.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $360.4M | $758.2M |
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 | $4.3M | $17.5M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-2.8M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -2.3% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 5.8% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 2.16× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $-7.5M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $17.5M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $16.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.3M | $29.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.0M | $10.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $18.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.8M | $17.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $4.7M | $24.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.0M | $14.4M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $8.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-2.8M | $25.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.1M | $9.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $17.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-1.3M | $16.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-4.5M | $23.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-1.6M | $10.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 6.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | -2.3% | 18.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.9% | 6.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 13.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | -1.1% | 13.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | -3.5% | 18.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | -1.4% | 8.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 5.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.8% | 3.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.4% | 1.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 1.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.8% | 0.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.2% | 1.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 7.1% | 3.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | 2.16× | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 4.03× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 2.39× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 5.11× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 3.44× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 3.18× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
NDLS
| Food And Beverage | $119.6M | 98% |
| Franchise | $2.5M | 2% |
PRLB
| CNC Machining | $63.2M | 45% |
| Injection Molding | $51.1M | 37% |
| 3D Printing | $20.5M | 15% |
| Sheet Metal | $4.4M | 3% |
| Other Revenue | $207.0K | 0% |
