ADV
Advantage Solutions Inc. (ADV) Economic Moat Analysis (2026)
Overall Score
Profitability Returns
Returns remain poor, with ROIC at 3.5% and ROE at -51.5%, indicating no durable excess-return moat.
Margins are thin to negative, with gross margin at 9.1%, operating margin at 2.1%, and net margin at -7.6%.
Balance Sheet Financial Resilience
Leverage remains elevated, with net debt to EBITDA at 19.7x and debt to equity at 3.84x.
Liquidity is adequate but not strong, with a current ratio of 1.79 and cash ratio of 0.22.
Cash Flow Quality
Cash generation is modest, with operating cash flow margin at 3.5% and free cash flow yield at 16.0%.
Income quality is weak at -0.46, suggesting earnings are not well supported by cash flow.
Competitive Position Moat Evidence
Low pricing power is implied by a price-to-sales ratio of 0.12 and only 9.1% gross margin.
There is limited evidence of a durable moat because returns on capital remain low and profitability is inconsistent.
Sources
- Company filings (10-K, 10-Q, investor presentations)
- Financial and market data providers
- Public news and industry information
🔒 Go Beyond This Framework
This is one of 10 institutional-grade frameworks Invetso runs on Advantage Solutions Inc.. Unlock the complete analysis — SWOT, Economic Moat, Porter’s Five Forces, Management, PESTLE and the Invetso Quality Score.

