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Side-by-side financial comparison of FORWARD AIR CORP (FWRD) and ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, INC. (WMS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, INC. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($693.4M vs $631.2M, roughly 1.1× FORWARD AIR CORP). ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, INC. runs the higher net margin — 13.5% vs -4.5%, a 18.0% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, INC. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (0.4% vs -0.3%). Over the past eight quarters, FORWARD AIR CORP's revenue compounded faster (7.9% CAGR vs 3.0%).
Forward Air Corp is a leading North American asset-light logistics and transportation provider. It offers core services including expedited less-than-truckload freight delivery, final-mile logistics, intermodal transport, warehousing, and supply chain solutions, serving key sectors such as e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, and automotive across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) is an American company that designs, manufactures and markets polypropylene and polyethylene pipes, plastic leach field chambers and systems, septic tanks and accessories, storm retention/detention and septic chambers, polyvinyl chloride drainage structures, fittings, and water filters and water separators. It is the largest maker of high-density polyethylene pipe in the United States. It is headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio. In 2020, 93% of the company's s...
FWRD vs WMS — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $631.2M | $693.4M |
| Net Profit | $-28.3M | $93.6M |
| Gross Margin | — | 37.4% |
| Operating Margin | -0.5% | 19.7% |
| Net Margin | -4.5% | 13.5% |
| Revenue YoY | -0.3% | 0.4% |
| Net Profit YoY | 22.2% | 15.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.90 | $1.19 |
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.
| Q4 25 | $631.2M | $693.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $631.8M | $850.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $618.8M | $829.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $613.3M | $615.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $632.8M | $690.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $655.9M | $782.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $643.7M | $815.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $541.8M | $653.8M |
| Q4 25 | $-28.3M | $93.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-16.3M | $156.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-12.6M | $143.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-50.6M | $77.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-36.4M | $81.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-73.4M | $130.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-645.4M | $161.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-61.7M | $94.8M |
| Q4 25 | — | 37.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 40.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 39.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 36.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 35.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 37.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 40.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 38.5% |
| Q4 25 | -0.5% | 19.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.4% | 26.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.2% | 24.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.8% | 19.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 12.0% | 18.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.5% | 23.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | -170.2% | 27.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | -12.1% | 20.7% |
| Q4 25 | -4.5% | 13.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | -2.6% | 18.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | -2.0% | 17.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | -8.3% | 12.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | -5.8% | 11.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | -11.2% | 16.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | -100.3% | 19.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | -11.4% | 14.5% |
| Q4 25 | $-0.90 | $1.19 | ||
| Q3 25 | $-0.52 | $1.99 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-0.41 | $1.84 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-1.68 | $0.99 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-1.69 | $1.04 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-2.66 | $1.67 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-23.47 | $2.06 | ||
| Q1 24 | $-2.81 | $1.22 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $106.0M | $1.0B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $1.7B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $113.3M | $1.9B |
| Total Assets | $2.7B | $4.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 14.89× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $106.0M | $1.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $140.4M | $812.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $95.1M | $638.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $116.3M | $463.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $104.9M | $488.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $136.6M | $613.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $84.9M | $541.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $152.0M | $490.2M |
| Q4 25 | $1.7B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.7B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.7B | $1.3B |
| Q4 25 | $113.3M | $1.9B | ||
| Q3 25 | $139.8M | $1.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $151.8M | $1.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $154.6M | $1.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $201.7M | $1.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | $226.1M | $1.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | $283.8M | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 24 | $926.1M | $1.2B |
| Q4 25 | $2.7B | $4.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.8B | $4.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.8B | $3.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.8B | $3.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.8B | $3.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.1B | $3.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.1B | $3.4B | ||
| Q1 24 | $4.0B | $3.3B |
| Q4 25 | 14.89× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 12.05× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.83× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.81× | 1.11× |
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 | — | $269.3M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | — | $183.6M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | — | 26.5% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 1.3% | 12.4% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 2.88× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $577.1M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | — | $269.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $52.7M | $234.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $275.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $27.6M | $41.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-23.2M | $189.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $51.2M | $166.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-45.2M | $183.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-51.7M | $17.7M |
| Q4 25 | — | $183.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $48.6M | $176.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $222.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $15.7M | $-5.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-30.5M | $135.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $40.7M | $112.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-59.6M | $125.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-56.7M | $-29.8M |
| Q4 25 | — | 26.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 7.7% | 20.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 26.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.6% | -0.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | -4.8% | 19.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.2% | 14.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | -9.3% | 15.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | -10.5% | -4.6% |
| Q4 25 | 1.3% | 12.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.7% | 6.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.8% | 6.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.9% | 7.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.1% | 7.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.6% | 7.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.2% | 7.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.9% | 7.3% |
| Q4 25 | — | 2.88× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 1.51× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 1.91× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.53× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 2.34× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 1.28× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 1.14× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 0.19× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
FWRD
| Omni Logistics Segment | $359.8M | 57% |
| Network | $183.9M | 29% |
| Intermodal Segment | $50.2M | 8% |
| Truckload | $41.6M | 7% |
WMS
| Reportable Segment Aggregation Before Other Operating Segment | $557.3M | 80% |
| Other | $85.5M | 12% |
| Pipe | $35.5M | 5% |
| Allied Products And Other | $15.0M | 2% |
