ATS Corporation (TSX: ATS; NYSE: ATS) is in the spotlight on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, after the Canadian automation specialist announced a key leadership decision: Doug Wright has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and will also join the company’s Board of Directors, with the transition expected to take place on or before January 14, 2026. [1]
The market’s initial reaction was upbeat. ATS shares traded higher on both listings, reflecting investor relief that a months-long CEO search is now resolved—often a “de-risking” moment for a stock that’s trying to refocus attention on operations, margins, and backlog conversion.
ATS stock price today
As of Dec. 16, ATS was trading around C$37.91 on the Toronto Stock Exchange versus a C$36.90 previous close, with an intraday range roughly C$36.99 to C$38.79 (data as shown on Investing.com). [2]
On the New York Stock Exchange, ATS last traded at $27.53 (USD) as of 15:58 UTC, with an intraday high of $28.14 and low of $26.93, according to the latest available market data.
What happened: ATS appoints Doug Wright as CEO
ATS said Doug Wright will take over as CEO on or before January 14, 2026, following what the company described as a comprehensive search led by its Board. The appointment also places Wright on ATS’s Board of Directors, a detail that matters to governance-minded investors because it signals the Board is integrating the new chief executive directly into strategic oversight. [3]
ATS added that Ryan McLeod will remain interim CEO until Wright starts, after which McLeod will return to his role as Chief Financial Officer—an important continuity point for investors watching execution during the transition. [4]
Who is Doug Wright, and why investors care
From ATS’s own description, Wright arrives with a resume shaped by large-scale industrial and technology leadership:
- Most recently, CEO of Indicor, a diversified industrial solutions group.
- Previously President and CEO of Building Technologies at Honeywell.
- Earlier CEO experience at Source Photonics, plus leadership roles at United Technologies (now Raytheon Technologies) and Ingersoll Rand.
- Education includes a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Virginia Tech) and an MBA in International Business (UNC Charlotte). [5]
For ATS shareholders, the “so what?” isn’t the biography trivia—it’s the implied operating agenda. ATS explicitly framed Wright’s track record around organic growth, margin expansion, and value-accretive acquisitions—three phrases that map neatly onto what the market has been debating in ATS: when revenue growth translates into cleaner margins, and how disciplined M&A remains as integration continues. [6]
A quick rewind: why ATS was in interim-CEO mode
Today’s announcement closes the loop on a leadership transition that began earlier in 2025.
On July 7, 2025, ATS announced then-CEO Andrew Hider would step down (and withdraw his Board candidacy), and that CFO Ryan McLeod would become interim CEO while the Board searched for a permanent replacement. [7]
In that light, Dec. 16 is not just “new CEO news”—it’s the market finally getting a date-certain endpoint to the interim phase.
Why Indicor also issued news today
Leadership shifts tend to create a paper trail, and today is no exception. Indicor released its own statement on Dec. 16 confirming that Doug Wright is stepping down as CEO and from its board in order to become CEO of ATS Corporation. Indicor said its chairman, John Stroup, will serve as interim CEO effective immediately. [8]
For ATS investors, that matters because it reduces ambiguity: the move is clearly a transition (not a rumor, not a “potential appointment”), and both sides are aligning timelines publicly.
ATS fundamentals in one paragraph
ATS positions itself as a global automation solutions provider spanning custom automation, repeat automation, automation products, and value-added services (including pre-automation and after-sales). It cites end-markets including life sciences, transportation, food & beverage, consumer products, and energy, and says it was founded in 1978 with approximately 7,500 employees across more than 65 manufacturing facilities and over 85 offices globally. [9]
That mix matters because ATS isn’t a “single-cycle” story; it’s a portfolio business. A CEO change is, in part, a bet about how effectively management allocates attention across those cycles.
The most recent company outlook and operating signals investors are watching
The cleanest “forecast” investors can point to is ATS’s own guidance and operational commentary from its most recent quarterly results.
In its second quarter fiscal 2026 report (for the three and six months ended Sept. 28, 2025), ATS highlighted:
- Revenue:$728.5 million, up 18.9% year over year
- Net income:$33.6 million (vs. a net loss of $0.9 million a year earlier)
- Adjusted EBITDA:$103.7 million (vs. $78.3 million a year earlier)
- Order bookings:$734 million
- Order backlog:$2,070 million, up 13.5% year over year
- Adjusted basic EPS:$0.45 (vs. $0.25 a year earlier) [10]
Just as important: ATS explicitly reminded investors that quarterly bookings can be lumpy—and pointed to backlog as a buffer.
Company forecast: Q3 fiscal 2026 revenue guidance
Within that same results release, ATS provided a specific near-term revenue range:
- For Q3 fiscal 2026, management expects revenue of $700 million to $740 million. [11]
This kind of range is often what “real money” investors trade around, because it sets expectations not only for revenue, but also for utilization, project milestone timing, and margin progression.
Restructuring and cost actions
ATS also flagged a planned effort to improve cost structure and reallocate resources toward strategic focus areas:
- Actions expected to begin in Q3 fiscal 2026 and continue through fiscal year-end
- Total restructuring expenses anticipated at approximately $15 million [12]
In practical terms, investors will likely watch whether restructuring is a one-time clean-up (good) or a recurring pattern (less good), and whether it coincides with measurable margin improvement.
A major recent overhang: the EV customer settlement
To understand the “risk memory” embedded in ATS stock, investors still reference the 2025 EV-customer dispute and its resolution.
On May 23, 2025, ATS announced it reached a settlement with an electric vehicle customer regarding outstanding payments. ATS said it would receive USD $134.75 million in Q1 fiscal 2026, with no further work required on those projects. The company also described significant accounting impacts tied to write-offs and a reduction to net income associated with the settlement. [13]
This is relevant on Dec. 16 because ATS’s Q2 narrative—and now its CEO appointment—leans into a theme of moving forward with a clearer portfolio focus, after a period where transportation/EV projects created noise and uncertainty.
How volatile has ATS stock been recently?
ATS has seen notable swings around earnings and analyst actions.
On the TSX listing, historical pricing shows ATS jumping sharply on Nov. 5, 2025 (the earnings date), and then pulling back in the weeks that followed—closing C$41.69 on Nov. 5 and C$36.90 by Dec. 15, 2025, according to published historical data. [14]
That context helps explain why a CEO appointment can move the stock: when shares are already “on edge” from volatility, governance clarity can become a catalyst all by itself.
Analyst coverage: who follows ATS
ATS publishes a list of sell-side firms that cover the stock, while emphasizing that analyst opinions are their own and not endorsed by ATS.
The current list includes analysts from firms such as Stifel GMP, National Bank Financial, RBC Dominion Securities, TD Securities, Raymond James, J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Scotiabank. [15]
That breadth matters because ATS trades in Canada and the U.S., and its investor base spans industrials specialists, growth-at-a-reasonable-price funds, and “quality compounder” mandates—each with different tolerance for project timing risk.
Analyst targets and forecasts: what the Street is modeling
Price targets and consensus forecasts differ by data provider (coverage universe, currency assumptions, and update timing), but they generally point to upside from current levels—while acknowledging uncertainty.
Here’s what major market-data aggregators are showing as of Dec. 16:
- MarketBeat (TSX: ATS): average price target around C$46.50, with a reported range from C$42.37 to C$57.00. [16]
- Investing.com (TSX/NYSE: ATS): average target shown around C$49.05, with a “buy” consensus indicator on that snapshot. [17]
- TipRanks: average target shown around C$48.84 (with a range displayed on its forecast page). [18]
- Zacks (ATS): average target $33.43 (USD), based on a set of analysts it tracks, with a stated range. [19]
Also worth noting: MarketScreener’s news stream reflects that Scotiabank upgraded ATS to “Sector Outperform” from “Sector Perform” and adjusted its price target to C$49 from C$45 (dated Nov. 6, 2025 in that feed). [20]
The useful way to read these targets isn’t as prophecy; it’s as a map of what analysts think will improve (or must improve) to justify a higher valuation—typically: backlog conversion, margin expansion, and steadier execution.
What could move ATS stock next
With “today’s news” now in the tape, investors typically shift to the next catalysts. For ATS, the short list is unusually concrete:
- CEO transition completion: Doug Wright expected to start on or before Jan. 14, 2026. First commentary from the new CEO (and how it aligns with ATS’s existing “ATS Business Model”) will be heavily parsed. [21]
- Delivery against Q3 revenue range: ATS has guided to $700M–$740M in Q3 fiscal 2026 revenue; meeting or beating that range helps reinforce confidence in backlog visibility. [22]
- Margin and cost trajectory: restructuring plans (about $15M expected) and the pace of margin expansion initiatives. [23]
- Bookings and backlog quality: investors will look not just at the backlog number, but the mix—especially in life sciences and energy, where ATS has emphasized opportunity funnels. [24]
Risks to keep in view
Even upbeat CEO news doesn’t repeal the laws of industrial gravity. Investors typically watch these recurring risk categories for project-based automation companies:
- Project timing variability: large enterprise programs can shift revenue recognition between quarters.
- Cost inflation and tariff-related uncertainty: ATS specifically flagged tariffs and broader cost volatility as potential disruptors to timing and margin expansion efforts. [25]
- Integration complexity: as ATS continues integrating acquired companies and targeting synergies. [26]
Bottom line
ATS Corporation stock is higher on Dec. 16, 2025, after the company named Doug Wright as its next CEO—an event that markets often treat as a confidence signal following an interim leadership stretch. [27]
References
1. investors.atsautomation.com, 2. www.investing.com, 3. investors.atsautomation.com, 4. investors.atsautomation.com, 5. investors.atsautomation.com, 6. investors.atsautomation.com, 7. investors.atsautomation.com, 8. www.prnewswire.com, 9. investors.atsautomation.com, 10. investors.atsautomation.com, 11. investors.atsautomation.com, 12. investors.atsautomation.com, 13. investors.atsautomation.com, 14. stockanalysis.com, 15. investors.atsautomation.com, 16. www.marketbeat.com, 17. www.investing.com, 18. www.tipranks.com, 19. www.zacks.com, 20. www.marketscreener.com, 21. investors.atsautomation.com, 22. investors.atsautomation.com, 23. investors.atsautomation.com, 24. investors.atsautomation.com, 25. investors.atsautomation.com, 26. investors.atsautomation.com, 27. investors.atsautomation.com
