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Illinois Tool Works vs Advanced Drainage Systems: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Illinois Tool Works holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and stability. Advanced Drainage Systems does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

The clearest separation starts in profitability, but stability adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 31 points in favour of Illinois Tool Works Inc..

Trajectory Similarity
0.75
Similar
Peer-set rank: #42
within Illinois Tool Works Inc.'s functional peer set

This pair is matched through long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

Most of the shared profile comes through revenue growth trajectory and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
revenue growth trajectorymargin consistency
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
ITW
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
70
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
WMS
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.
39
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: ITW vs WMS Profitability 82 25 Stability 72 24 Valuation 69 63 Growth 50 39 ITW WMS
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +57
#2 Stability +48
#3 Growth +11
#4 Valuation +6
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ITW and WMS Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ITWWMS Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where ITW and WMS each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY ITW Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 13 pct gap WMS Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 98th 85th
ITW (98th percentile) and WMS (85th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Illinois Tool Works Inc. ranks near the top of the group on profitability; Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Stability
On stability, the gap still runs the same way: Illinois Tool Works Inc. sits near the top of the group, while Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. remains in the weaker half.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
ITW
82
WMS
25
Gap+57in favour of ITW

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 10.2-point operating margin advantage.

What else supports the lead

Stability adds another layer of support rather than leaving the result tied to profitability alone.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and stability, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the ITW vs WMS comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar profitability-and-stability comparisons

Explore how ITW and WMS each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.