Insteel IndustriesIIIN +3.40%68 Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Jun. 26, 2026, which is at its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates IIIN with a GF Score™ of 68/100 and a GF Value™ of $37.81 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 4 warning signs investors should review. Among 2,979 Industrial Products companies, Insteel Industries ranks better than 75.46% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Insteel Industries has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for Insteel Industries's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
IIIN'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3 Med: 6 Max: 7
Current: 6
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Insteel Industries was 7. The lowest was 3. And the median was 6.
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Insteel Industries Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Insteel Industries Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Insteel Industries's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Metal Fabrication subindustry, Insteel Industries's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Insteel Industries Piotroski F-Score vs Industrial Products Industry
For the Industrial Products industry and Industrials sector, Insteel Industries's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Insteel Industries's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Insteel Industries's current Net Income (TTM) was 42.5.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Insteel Industries's return on assets of this year was 0.10078936. Insteel Industries's return on assets of last year was 0.05675596.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Insteel Industries's gearing of this year was 0.00300261. Insteel Industries's gearing of last year was 0.00461194.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Insteel Industries's current ratio of this year was 3.71174648. Insteel Industries's current ratio of last year was 3.87294442.
==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Insteel Industries's number of shares in issue this year was 19.566. Insteel Industries's number of shares in issue last year was 19.529.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Insteel Industries's gross margin of this year was 0.13615313. Insteel Industries's gross margin of last year was 0.10816804.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Insteel Industries's asset turnover of this year was 1.63539326. Insteel Industries's asset turnover of last year was 1.43609322.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
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6
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Insteel Industries has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
Insteel Industries (IIIN) has a Piotroski F-Score of 6 as of Jun. 26, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Insteel Industries and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, Insteel Industries' Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 7.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Insteel Industries ranks #731 out of 2979 companies in the Industrial Products industry, placing it in the top 24.5%.
Is Insteel Industries' Piotroski F-Score too high?
Insteel Industries' current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is near median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.00 to a high of 7.00. The Industrial Products industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Insteel Industries' value of 6 is 20% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Insteel Industries ranks #731 out of 2979 companies in the Industrial Products industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Insteel Industries has a GF Score™ of 68/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Insteel Industries' Piotroski F-Score compare to MEC and TG?
According to the Industrial Products industry distribution chart, Insteel Industries ranks #731 out of 2979 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Insteel Industries in the top 25% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Insteel Industries' value of 6 is 20% above this benchmark. Historically, Insteel Industries' own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 7.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Insteel Industries has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for an Industrial Products company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Industrial Products companies is 5.00, based on 2,979 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Insteel Industries's current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is 20% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Insteel Industries and its competitors. For the Industrial Products industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Insteel Industries's current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is near median its own 10-year median of 6.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Insteel Industries stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Insteel Industries (IIIN) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $37.81, compared to a current price of $31.00 — trading 18% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is near median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 20% above the Industrial Products industry median of 5.00. Insteel Industries' overall GF Score™ is 68/100 with 4 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Insteel Industries (IIIN), the current Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Jun. 26, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Insteel Industries (IIIN) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Insteel Industries stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $31.00 is trading 18% below its estimated GF Value™ of $37.81.
GuruFocus considers Insteel Industries to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for IIIN:
Piotroski F-Score: 6 (near median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $37.81 vs. price of $31.00 (18% below fair value)
Industry Position: 20% above the Industrial Products median (#731 of 2979)
No single metric tells the full story. See the IIIN stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Insteel Industries Inc produces and sells prestressed concrete strand (PC strand) and welded wire reinforcement (WWR). PC strand, a high-strength seven-wire cable, is used to strengthen precast concrete in structures like bridges, parking decks, and buildings, enabling longer spans and slimmer designs. WWR includes engineered structural mesh for primary reinforcement, concrete pipe reinforcement for drainage and sewage systems, and standard WWR for crack control in residential and light commercial construction. The company serves markets in the United States and internationally, with the majority of revenue generated in the United States.
68GF Score
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