IIIN vs LXFR vs WS Stock Comparison

Insteel Industries, Luxfer Holdings and Worthington Steel Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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IIIN Insteel Industries Inc
$27.00 -10.5% 1M -15.7% 1Y
Market cap
$528.87M
P/E
17.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$739.51M
Div. yield
0.04%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
4 wins
LXFR Luxfer Holdings Plc
$17.31 +0.4% 1M +36.8% 1Y
Market cap
$463.34M
P/E
74.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$355.20M
Div. yield
–
Metal Fabrication Industrials
5 wins
WS Worthington Steel, Inc.
$35.90 -6.2% 1M +13.3% 1Y
Market cap
$1.82B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$5.30B
Div. yield
0.02%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Luxfer Holdings leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Luxfer Holdings 5, Insteel Industries 4, Worthington Steel 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIIINLXFRWSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $528.87M $463.34M $1.82B WS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 17.9x 74.7x -47.5x IIIN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 13.2x 17.5x 9.9x WS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +14.2% -11.8% +69.1% WS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.0% 1.7% -0.7% IIIN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 5.2% 0.2% LXFR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 1.2x 19.9x LXFR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.04% 0.00% 0.02% IIIN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -15.7% +36.8% +13.3% LXFR
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -8.8%/yr -4.7%/yr — LXFR
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 42.1% 32.4% 48.9% LXFR
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 56/100 51/100 35/100 IIIN

Percentile Scorecard

IIINLXFRWS

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisIIINLXFRWS
Valuation 90 #21 of 204 53 #96 of 204 63 #76 of 204
Growth 31 #132 of 191 18 #156 of 191 35 #125 of 191
Profitability 45 #105 of 189 37 #120 of 189 27 #138 of 189
Financial Health 89 #25 of 221 67 #73 of 221 10 #199 of 221
Shareholder Returns 26 #118 of 159 79 #35 of 159 41 #95 of 159
Overall 56 51 35
  • IIIN ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • LXFR ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • WS ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodIIINLXFRWSSPY
1 month -10.5%+0.4%-6.2% -5.9%
3 months -16.5%+1.3%-3.1% -4.6%
6 months -0.4%+11.5%-11.2% +0.2%
Year to date -14.7%+27.9%+3.7% +7.5%
1 year -15.7%+36.8%+13.3% +8.2%
3 years -10.4%+101.3%— +68.3%
3 years, per year -3.6%+26.3%— +19.0%
5 years -37.0%-21.4%— +56.5%
5 years, per year -8.8%-4.7%— +9.4%
10 years +1.8%—— +251.5%
10 years, per year +0.2%—— +13.4%

Risk

MeasureIIINLXFRWSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 42.1%32.4%48.9% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 52.0%37.9%52.9% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.050.801.71 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.371.140.27 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.9%-67.3%-51.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -29.2%-9.3%-26.3% -5.9%
52-week high $38.11$19.08$48.69 $779.14
52-week low $24.48$11.51$28.10 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleIIINLXFRWS
P/E now vs peer median 17.8xmedian 23.4x 74.7xmedian 23.4x -46.9xmedian 23.4x
P/S now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 1.7x 1.3xmedian 1.7x 0.3xmedian 1.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.8xmedian 13.4x 15.6xmedian 13.4x 38.6xmedian 13.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 21.0xmedian 21.9x 24.5xmedian 21.9x 39.4xmedian 21.9x
P/B now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 2.1x 2.1xmedian 2.1x 1.1xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median -5.99median 1.02 56.62median 1.02 1.44median 1.02

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsIIINLXFRWS
Revenue $739.51M $355.20M $5.30B
Gross profit $75.68M $89.00M $549.30M
Operating income $37.57M $22.40M $6.30M
Net income $29.55M $6.20M -$56.50M
Free cash flow $24.84M $18.90M $46.70M
R&D – $5.60M –
EPS (diluted) $1.51 $0.23 $-0.77
Cash & equivalents $37.48M $19.90M $248.20M
Total debt – $57.70M $2.20B
Shares (diluted) 19.52M 27.30M 50.00M
Enterprise value $437.76M $408.84M $1.30B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricIIINLXFRWS
P/E 17.8x 74.7x -46.9x
P/FCF 21.0x 24.5x 39.4x
P/Operating cash flow 14.3x 15.4x 9.1x
P/S 0.7x 1.3x 0.3x
P/B 1.4x 2.1x 1.1x
P/Tangible book 1.4x 2.2x 1.2x
EV/EBITDA 8.8x 15.6x 38.6x
EV/EBIT 12.9x 22.4x 601.1x
EV/Revenue 0.7x 1.4x 0.7x
EV/FCF 19.5x 26.5x 81.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.2x 16.7x 18.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -5.99 56.62 1.44

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIIINLXFRWS
Revenue growth (1Y) 14.2% -11.8% 69.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.4% -5.9% 15.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -19.0% -3.1% 36.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 2.9% 13.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) -27.9% 0.0% -95.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.7% -4.2% -65.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -28.0% -56.6% -144.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -3.0% 1.7% -34.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -27.8% -56.9% -132.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -3.0% 1.3% -32.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 34.8% -31.4% 18.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -36.4% 0.7% -10.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 31.1% -47.6% 50.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -39.4% 0.2% -41.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIIINLXFRWS
Gross margin 10.2% 25.1% 10.4%
EBITDA margin 7.5% 9.1% 1.8%
Operating margin 5.1% 6.3% 0.1%
Pretax margin 5.2% 5.2% -0.2%
Net margin 4.0% 1.7% -0.7%
FCF margin 3.4% 5.3% 0.9%
Operating cash flow margin 5.0% 8.4% 3.8%
Return on equity 7.9% 2.8% -4.0%
Return on assets 6.2% 1.6% -1.4%
Return on invested capital – 5.2% 0.2%
Return on capital employed 9.4% 7.3% 0.3%
Asset turnover 1.5x 0.9x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 4.8x -3.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 1.1% 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIIINLXFRWS
Debt / assets – 15.1% 36.5%
Debt / equity – 0.3x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – 1.2x 19.9x
Debt / FCF – 3.1x 47.0x
Liabilities / assets 21.0% 42.1% 72.8%
Equity / assets 79.0% 57.9% 27.2%
Interest coverage 596.3x 6.6x 0.5x
Current ratio 3.7x 2.5x 1.8x
Quick ratio 1.6x 1.1x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.3x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 6.21 3.57 1.51

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIIINLXFRWS
Dividend yield 4.1% 2.3% 1.8%
Net buyback yield 0.6% 0.6% –
Shareholder yield 4.8% 2.8% 1.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) 73.5% – -57.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) 87.5% – 70.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) -0.2% – 2.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -19.2% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusIIINLXFRWS
Forward P/E 13.2xFY2027 17.5xFY2026 9.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.05FY2027 $0.99FY2026 $3.61FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.8%FY2027 -10.8%FY2026 +61.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.8% +41.4% +34.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $759.46MFY2027 $386.72MFY2026 $10.87BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +2.7%FY2027 +4.2%FY2026 +216.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +4.4% +2.6% +5.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIIINLXFRWS
Held by institutions 82.1% 91.6% 56.3%
Institutions holding 187 138 239
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.9% -1.6% +1.2%
Institutions buying 122 76 113
Institutions selling 48 42 68
Buyers to sellers 2.54 1.81 1.66

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

IIINLXFRWS
IIIN 1.00 0.28 0.36
LXFR 0.28 1.00 0.33
WS 0.36 0.33 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IIIN, LXFR and WS?

Worthington Steel (WS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Insteel Industries (IIIN) $528.87M, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) $463.34M, Worthington Steel (WS) $1.82B.

Which stock is cheaper, IIIN, LXFR and WS?

Insteel Industries (IIIN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Insteel Industries (IIIN) 17.9x, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 74.7x, Worthington Steel (WS) -47.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Worthington Steel (WS) is cheapest (Insteel Industries (IIIN) 13.2x, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 17.5x, Worthington Steel (WS) 9.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Worthington Steel (WS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Insteel Industries (IIIN) +14.2%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) -11.8%, Worthington Steel (WS) +69.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Insteel Industries (IIIN) has the highest net margin (Insteel Industries (IIIN) 4.0%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 1.7%, Worthington Steel (WS) -0.7%). On return on invested capital, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) leads (Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 5.2%, Worthington Steel (WS) 0.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) returned the most: Insteel Industries (IIIN) -15.7%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) +36.8%, Worthington Steel (WS) +13.3%. Over five years, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) compounded fastest (Insteel Industries (IIIN) -8.8%/yr, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) -4.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Insteel Industries (IIIN) has the highest dividend yield: Insteel Industries (IIIN) 0.04%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 0.00%, Worthington Steel (WS) 0.02%. Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) has been the steadiest (Insteel Industries (IIIN) 42.1%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 32.4%, Worthington Steel (WS) 48.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, IIIN, LXFR and WS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.