Ascent Industries Co. (ACNT)
Materials · specialty chemicals · NASDAQ
Ascent Industries is a specialty chemicals provider that leverages a "Chemicals-as-a-Service" model to deliver custom formulations and outsourced manufacturing to a diverse industrial client base.
What Ascent Industries Co. does
Ascent Industries Co. is a specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures, and supplies tailored chemical formulations and intermediates serving energy, household, industrial, personal care, coatings, adhesives, agriculture, water treatment, and automotive markets. Operating three U.S. production facilities, the company offers products including surfactants, defoamers, lubricating agents, flame retardants, and specialty intermediates in both petroleum-based and bio-based formulations, along with comprehensive custom manufacturing and technical support services under its Chemicals-as-a-Service (CaaS) strategy.
Themes: specialty chemicals, Chemicals-as-a-Service (CaaS), custom manufacturing, formulation development, industrial chemicals, bio-based chemicals, energy sector chemicals, water treatment
Fundamentals
- Price$15.45 as of 2026-08-26 close
- Market cap$139M as of 2026-08-26
- 1-year return+28.7% 2025-08-26 close $12.00 → 2026-08-26 close $15.45
- P/E115.41 as of 2026-08-27
- Net margin+1.5% as of 2026-08-27
- Gross margin+22.2% as of 2026-08-27
- ROE+1.4% as of 2026-08-27
- Debt / equity0.01 as of 2026-08-27
- Revenue growth (YoY)-51.7% as of 2026-08-27
- Revenue CAGR (3y)-34.1% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.48 as of 2026-08-27
- Last reported earnings2026-08-04 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
How ACNT compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiotop 10% 92 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-27
- net profit marginmiddle range 142 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-27
- operating marginbottom 25% 142 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-27
- gross marginmiddle range 141 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-27
- return on equitymiddle range 151 covered Materials peers, as of 2026-08-27
- 3-year revenue CAGRbottom 10% 127 covered Materials peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 124 covered Materials peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Materials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage
Not assessed — last reported dividend predates the accounts. The most recent fiscal year in which ACNT reported a dividend payment is FY2018, while its reported financial statements run through FY2025. Coverage is therefore not assessed for the latest year — an FY2018 ratio would not describe ACNT today.
Coverage is derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures, comparing dividends paid against net income and free cash flow for the SAME fiscal year. It is not shown here because the latest fiscal year with a reported dividend payment (FY2018) is older than the latest year of reported financial statements (FY2025), so any ratio would describe an out-of-date year. Informational only — not financial advice.
How Ascent Industries Co. looks technically
Ascent Industries Co. (ACNT) is trading 4.2% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 17 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 16, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 56, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It made a new 20-day low about 4 trading days ago.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 4.2% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +4.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $15.01 | $15.01 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $14.83 | $14.83 |
| Swing structure | its recent peaks and dips disagree — one of them is rising while the other is not, so there is no clean up or down pattern in the swings | mixed — one of the two is not confirming |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 12 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 12 sessions |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 17 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 17 sessions |
| Above the 200-day after a dip | it recently dipped to its 200-day average (the long-term trend line) and has since climbed back above it — now about 4.2% above | +4.2% |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 16, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 16.3 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 56, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 56.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the upper half of its 14-day range ($14.57 to $15.84) — its "stochastic" reading is 69 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 69.3 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in negative territory (momentum leaning bearish) | 28 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $17.92 | $17.92 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 13.8% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -13.8% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 33.0% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +33.0% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 13.8% below its highest point of the past year | 13.8% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 4 trading days ago | 4 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 14 trading days ago | 14 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $47.45 (set on 2007-06-20) | $47.45 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($11.70 to $17.78), and it has given back roughly a third of its rise from last year’s low — 38% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $13.83 to $14.02. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 38.3% |
| From the all-time high | it is 67.4% below its all-time high | -67.4% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 2.8% below a resistance level at $15.88 — a price it turned at three times since 2026-01-12, most recently on 2026-07-07. Since 2024-08-26 it has 9 such levels below the current price and 3 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +2.8% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $1.44 (set on 1985-12-10) | $1.44 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 969.6% above its all-time low | +969.6% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are narrower than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (tighter than about 82% of it) | 18th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.4129 between its high and its low — about 2.7% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.4129 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $14.66 and $15.80 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $14.66 – $15.23 – $15.80 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 2.7% in a typical session — calmer than most companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 2.7% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 1.5 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (4.2% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 1.5 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.96× |
|---|
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 5 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 5 sessions ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bullish engulfing | 8 sessions ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 8 sessions ago |
Price gaps
2
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-26 0.2% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and had not traded back through that level by the close | +0.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 4.1% gap up opened on 2026-08-05 has been "filled" 14 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 14 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed higher 3 sessions in a row, a +4.96% move over the run — an unbroken run of up days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 3 sessions up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 1.6 percentage points (the stock gained 2.1% while the market gained 3.7%) | -1.6% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 6.7 percentage points (the stock gained 8.7% while the market gained 2.1%) | +6.7% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 21.7 percentage points (the stock lost 10.5% while the market gained 11.1%) | -21.7% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 10.0 percentage points (the stock gained 28.7% while the market gained 18.7%) | +10.0% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 3.2% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-21 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is moderate, spanning 4.8% of the share price. | +3.2% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
1
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 8% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $14.29 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 159 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +8.1% |
|---|
Price levels it has turned at before
ACNT last closed at $15.45 on 2026-08-26. Since 2024-08-26 it has turned at 9 prices below its last close and 3 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15.88 | Resistance | 2.8% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-01-12 to 2026-07-07 |
| $14.93 | Support | 3.4% below the last close | turned there three times · 2026-05-22 to 2026-07-27 |
| $14.54 | Support | 5.9% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-06-12 to 2026-08-14 |
| $16.80 | Resistance | 8.8% above the last close | turned there three times · 2025-12-18 to 2026-01-15 |
| $13.68 | Support | 11.5% below the last close | turned there twice · 2025-06-10 to 2025-11-25 |
| $17.89 | Resistance | 15.8% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-02-17 to 2026-03-02 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
No Elliott-wave labelling currently fits its swings: the recent highs and lows do not satisfy the three rules a five-wave count has to obey, so there is no count to show rather than a count we are unsure about.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-26.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Recent golden cross (50-day crossed above 200-day) · Tested and reclaimed 200-day support · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · lagging the market · Trading above the Ichimoku cloud | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-26. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Significant revenue decline of -51.72% YoY and operating losses indicate severe demand weakness or market contraction in core end markets","High customer concentration risk with top five customers accounting for approximately 51% of 2025 revenues, creating vulnerability to customer loss or reduced demand","Raw material cost inflation, tariff impacts, and supply chain disruptions pose margin compression risks given the company's reliance on numerous independent suppliers and limited alternative sourcing for certain materials"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of ACNT's 10-Q filed 2026-05-06 against the prior one filed 2025-11-04.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) adds discussion of February 20, 2026 Supreme Court ruling regarding tariff imposition under IEEPA and U.S. Customs refund procedures for previously paid tariffs.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) adds discussion of Administration's temporary 10% general tariff under Section 122 of Trade Act of 1974 with exemptions including aerospace products.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) adds statement that tariff developments 'did not have a material impact' on financial position, results of operations and cash flows in Q1 2026.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) includes Q1 2026 consolidated net sales of $19.4 million with 8.9% increase versus Q1 2025, driven by 7.6% increase in pounds shipped and 5.2% increase in average selling prices.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) includes Q1 2026 gross profit of $2.8 million (14.5% of sales) versus Q1 2025 of $3.1 million (17.2% of sales).
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) includes Q1 2026 SG&A of $5.1 million (26.4% of sales) versus Q1 2025 of $4.9 million (27.3% of sales).
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) includes Q1 2026 operating loss of $2.4 million versus Q1 2025 operating loss of $2.0 million.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) includes Q1 2026 interest income of $0.3 million versus Q1 2025 interest expense of $0.1 million.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) reports effective tax rate of (6.1)% for Q1 2026 versus (8.4)% for Q1 2025.
- Removed:
- Older filing (2025-11-04) contains section on 'Divestiture of American Stainless Tubing' describing June 30, 2025 sale to First Tube, LLC with $16 million consideration and $4.6 million pretax gain, not present in newer filing.
- Older filing (2025-11-04) contains section on 'Divestiture of Bristol Metals' describing April 4, 2025 sale to Bristol Pipe and Tube, Inc. with $45 million consideration and $2.5 million pretax gain, not present in newer filing.
- Older filing (2025-11-04) states company does not expect tariff factors 'to result in a material negative effect on our net sales or profitability for the remainder of fiscal year 2025' – this specific qualification not in newer filing.
- Older filing (2025-11-04) includes discussion of third quarter 2025 results with net sales of $19.7 million and nine-month results with net sales of $56.2 million, not in newer filing.
- Older filing (2025-11-04) includes reference to 'our strongest earnings performance since 2022' and statement that 'Gross profit nearly doubled year-over-year', not in newer filing.
- Older filing (2025-11-04) discusses Q3 2025 gross profit of $5.8 million (29.7% of sales) versus Q3 2024, not in newer filing.
- Reworded:
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) references 'three and three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025' versus older filing (2025-11-04) referencing 'three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024'.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) references Annual Report for year ended December 31, 2025 versus older filing (2025-11-04) referencing year ended December 31, 2024.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) states comparisons are to 'corresponding period of 2025' versus older filing (2025-11-04) stating 'corresponding period of 2024'.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) macroeconomic section refers to 'recently implemented tariffs' and 'continued tariff modifications' versus older filing (2025-11-04) referring to 'recent tariffs announced' and 'potential tariff modifications'.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) adds reference to 'geopolitical conflicts, including the continuation or escalation of events like the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict' as potential supply chain disruptor, not in older filing.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) gross profit decrease attributed to 'timing of manufacturing variances and cost recovery in relation to sales' versus older filing (2025-11-04) attributing increases to 'continued sourcing improvements'.
- Newer filing (2026-05-06) states SG&A increase 'partially offset by decreases in incentive bonus' versus older filing context of overall profit increases.
- Notes:
- The filings cover different reporting periods (Q1 2026 vs Q3 2025 and nine months 2025), limiting direct comparability of operating results.
- Older filing discusses discontinued operations from two divestitures (ASTI and Bristol Metals) completed in 2025; newer filing is from a period after these divestitures and does not discuss them.
- Text of newer filing appears truncated at 'To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared an' affecting completeness of Non-GAAP Financial Measures section.
Risk Factors
- Reworded:
- Page numbers in Item headers changed from 28-30 (filed 2025-11-04) to 25-26 (filed 2026-05-06)
- Balance sheet comparison date changed from September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024 (filed 2025-11-04) to March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025 (filed 2026-05-06)
- Income statement comparison periods changed from three months and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 (filed 2025-11-04) to three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 (filed 2026-05-06)
- Cash flow statement comparison periods changed from nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 (filed 2025-11-04) to three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 (filed 2026-05-06)
- Notes:
- The two filings represent different quarterly reporting periods (Q3 2025 vs. Q1 2026), resulting in different financial data and comparative periods rather than changes to disclosure content
- Forward-Looking Statements section is substantively identical between filings
- The financial statements themselves differ due to different reporting dates, not due to changes in disclosure or accounting policies
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
0 open-market purchases and 1 open-market sale by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 90 days0 buys · 1 sell ($21150) — 1 selling insider
- Last 180 days0 buys · 1 sell ($21150) — 1 selling insider
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-06-26. As of 2026-08-27.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about ACNT's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding ACNT as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 1,114,137
- Reported value $14,829,164
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 4 increased, 1 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
ACNT had 157,944 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
ACNT had 1.75% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 4.17 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 157,944
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 1.75%
- Prior settlement (shares) 163,393
- Reported change -3.33%
- Days to cover (reported) 4.17
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Huntsman Corporation (HUN)
- Elementis plc
- Innospec Inc. (IOSP)
- Albemarle Corporation (ALB)
- Eastman Chemical Company (EMN)
- Arkema (ARKAY)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Ascent Industries Co. (ACNT) do?
Ascent Industries Co. is a specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures, and supplies tailored chemical formulations and intermediates serving energy, household, industrial, personal care, coatings, adhesives, agriculture, water treatment, and automotive markets. Operating three U.S. production facilities, the company offers products including surfactants, defoamers, lubricating agents, flame retardants, and specialty intermediates in both petroleum-based and bio-based formulations,…
What sector is Ascent Industries Co. (ACNT) in?
Ascent Industries Co. (ACNT) is classified in the Materials sector. Its industry is specialty chemicals. It trades on NASDAQ.
Who are Ascent Industries Co.'s (ACNT) competitors?
Notable peers of Ascent Industries Co. (ACNT) include Huntsman Corporation, Elementis plc, Innospec Inc., Albemarle Corporation and Eastman Chemical Company. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is Ascent Industries Co. (ACNT) overbought or oversold right now?
Ascent Industries Co. (ACNT) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 56, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-26). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on ACNT come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-27; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-27. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-26.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.