Stock fact sheet · data as of
Noodles & Company (NDLS): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Consumer Cyclical · Restaurants · United States · Speculative / Distressed
Is NDLS undervalued?
NDLS has a margin of safety of 39%: the stock closed at 13.85 on 16 Oct 2026 against a GLS average fair value of 22.69. 1 of the 1 valuation models that produced a number sit above the price. Our screens treat a discount this large as a strong starting point for a cash-secured put, not as a verdict - the fair value is a model output, and a wide gap can mean the models are missing something the market knows.
The average is built from just 1 models (10 Cap) - the rest returned nothing because an input they need (dividends, free cash flow, book value) is zero or negative - so treat it with more caution than usual.
The nightly engine files NDLS under Speculative / Distressed - negative earnings or a Piotroski score of 3 or less - which caps its Wheel Score at 45 and keeps it out of the Sunday Scan.
Nine valuation models for NDLS
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | - | - | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital; no value tonight |
| Graham Number | - | - | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share; no value tonight |
| Graham Growth | - | - | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields; no value tonight |
| Lynch | - | - | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25%; no value tonight |
| GLS Growth | - | - | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year; no value tonight |
| 10 Cap | 22.69 | +64% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | - | - | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself; no value tonight |
| DDM | - | - | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend; no value tonight |
| EPV | - | - | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth; no value tonight |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -48.28 | -449% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 48.00 | +247% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Noodles & Company scores 5 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score: a middling result that falls one point short of the Sunday Scan's "6 or more" rule. Some of the nine tests on profitability, leverage and efficiency are failed, so the accounts are worth a look before selling a put on the name. A GLS Moat score of 0.3/10 is a weak reading: the ten-year history the score grades (revenue, EPS, book value, margins, cash flow, share count, ROIC) has not been steady, so the Moat part of the Wheel Score contributes little.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC -19.5%, ROE 94.0%, ROA -16.3% - with debt at -5.82 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 4.6%.
Noodles & Company pays no dividend, so the DDM model does not apply and a covered-call holder earns only the premium and any price gain. Revenue comes mainly from Food and Beverage 98%, Franchise 2% (quarter Q2 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 4/10, insider activity 5/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | -19.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 0.3 / 10 | ROE | 94.0% |
| Debt / equity | -5.82 | ROA | -16.3% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 4.6% | Payout ratio | 0% |
| Institutions | 4 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 5 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 39: No options
No options are listed on Noodles & Company in our nightly snapshot. The Wheel Score is therefore capped at 39 (it reads 39) and the stock is left out of every options screen; the fair value and health figures above are still useful for a plain stock position.
Volume runs at 31k shares a day on a market cap of $83M, with a beta of 1.35 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score gives that 5 of 20.
| Part | Points | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 25 / 25 | 39% margin of safety | |
| Health | 11 / 20 | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Moat | 0 / 15 | moat 0.3/10 | |
| Premium | 0 / 20 | no option data | |
| Stability | 5 / 20 | 31k shares/day, $83M cap, beta 1.35 |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls; it is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. The walkthrough lesson shows how the score fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 4 Nov 2026, 19 days away; a 30-45-day put sold today would expire after it, which is worth weighing against the premium.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Restaurants
The 12 companies below are the closest to Noodles & Company by market cap within the Restaurants industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MB MasterBeef Group | 4.45 | 7.42 | +40% | 39No options | $76M |
| BDL Flanigan's Enterprises, Inc. | 49.50 | 40.78 | -21% | 31No options | $92M |
| VENU Venu Holding Corporation | 1.13 | - | - | 33Weak | $64M |
| GENK GEN Restaurant Group, Inc. | 1.69 | 296.32 | +99% | 39No options | $56M |
| BRCB Black Rock Coffee Bar, Inc. | 8.27 | 2.90 | -186% | 48Weak | $149M |
| STKS The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. | 1.41 | 49.68 | +97% | 45Weak | $45M |
| RRGB Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. | 8.50 | 18.84 | +55% | 45Weak | $161M |
| THCH TH International Limited | 1.09 | - | - | 33Weak | $35M |
| RICK RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc. | 25.88 | 52.44 | +51% | 45Weak | $198M |
| RAVE RAVE Restaurant Group, Inc. | 2.17 | 5.90 | +63% | 56Fair | $31M |
| PC Premium Catering (Holdings) Limited | 9.40 | 0.8286 | -1034% | 9No options | $31M |
| JACK Jack in the Box Inc. | 12.66 | 22.56 | +44% | 75Good | $243M |
⚖ Compare NDLS with 7 of them All Consumer Cyclical stocks →
Screen the whole market the same way
A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the same eight-rule screen, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about NDLS
Is NDLS undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, yes: at 13.85 the stock is 39% below the average fair value of 22.69 (data as of 16 Oct 2026). Whether the discount is deserved is the question to research next.
What is the Wheel Score of NDLS and what does it mean?
NDLS has no listed options in our nightly snapshot, so it cannot be wheeled; its Wheel Score is capped at 39 and shown as "No options".
What is the GLS fair value for NDLS?
22.69 per share as of 16 Oct 2026 - the simple average of the 1 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Noodles & Company report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 4 Nov 2026, 19 days from the data date of 16 Oct 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does NDLS have listed options, and how liquid are they?
No. The nightly options snapshot found no listed contracts on NDLS, so the wheel strategy cannot be run on it and the Wheel Score is capped at 39.