ACME UNITED CORP (ACU)
Health Care · consumer products / school & office supplies · NYSE American
Acme United provides essential safety, cutting, and measuring tools for school, office, and industrial use.
What ACME UNITED CORP does
Acme United Corp is a global supplier of innovative safety, cutting, and measuring products. The company offers a wide range of goods including first aid and safety kits, cutting tools, sharpening systems, and measuring instruments for school, home, and office use. Its products are sold under various brands to retailers, wholesalers, and industrial distributors.
Themes: consumer staples, back-to-school seasonals, first aid & safety products, office supplies
Fundamentals
- Price$61.61 as of 2026-08-24 close
- Market cap$236M as of 2026-08-24
- 1-year return+42.6% 2025-08-22 close $43.19 → 2026-08-24 close $61.61
- P/E25.95 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+4.6% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+40.1% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+8.3% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.27 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+9.0% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+0.4% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.53 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-07-23 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +1.5%; at least 2 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How ACU compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 191 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 504 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 504 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginbottom 25% 384 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitytop 25% 576 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 402 covered Health Care peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 71 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 493 covered Health Care peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Health Care 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 (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, ACU's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 23%, free-cash-flow payout 31%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout23% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout31% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How ACME UNITED CORP looks technically
ACME UNITED CORP (ACU) is trading 38.5% 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 140 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 32, with buyers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 66, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 1 trading day ago (its momentum flipped negative). It made a new 20-day high about 5 trading days ago. It is 2.8% below its all-time high.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 38.5% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +38.5% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $51.97 | $51.97 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $44.49 | $44.49 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been higher than the one before it and each dip has been shallower — the pattern chart-watchers call an uptrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | higher highs and higher lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 18 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 18 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 5 of five; the labelling fails if price closes below 54.62. It is the only labelling that fits, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible upward five-wave sequence, in wave 5 |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 140 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 140 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 32, with buyers in control | 31.8 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 66, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 65.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the upper half of its 14-day range ($54.62 to $63.40) — its "stochastic" reading is 80 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. | 79.6 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 1 trading day ago (its momentum flipped negative) | 1 session |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $63.40 | $63.40 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 2.8% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -2.8% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 73.5% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +73.5% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 2.8% below its highest point of the past year | 2.8% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day high about 5 trading days ago | 5 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 5 trading days ago | 5 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $63.40 (set on 2026-08-19) | $63.40 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($35.50 to $62.83), and it has given back only a small part of its rise from last year’s low — 4% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $45.07 to $45.94. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 4.5% |
| From the all-time high | it is 2.8% below its all-time high | -2.8% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 23.8% above a support level at $46.97 — a price it turned at three times since 2026-02-26, most recently on 2026-04-22. Since 2024-08-26 it has 10 such levels below the current price and 0 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -23.8% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $0.8125 (set on 1999-12-16) | $0.8125 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 7482.8% above its all-time low | +7,483% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are wider than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (wider than about 77% of it) | 77th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $2.27 between its high and its low — about 3.7% 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 | $2.27 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $54.09 and $63.78 — 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 | $54.09 – $58.93 – $63.78 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.7% in a typical session — about typical for the 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 | 3.7% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 7.6 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (38.5% 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 | 7.6 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 | 1.18× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
1
| Since a doji | today 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 | today |
|---|
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-24 1.1% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | +1.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 3.9% above the previous close 20 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 52.45 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +3.9% |
| Gap filled | a 9.6% gap down opened on 2026-07-02 has been "filled" 34 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 34 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 14.0 percentage points (the stock gained 17.5% while the market gained 3.4%) | +14.0% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 43.7 percentage points (the stock gained 46.1% while the market gained 2.4%) | +43.7% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 25.9 percentage points (the stock gained 37.0% while the market gained 11.1%) | +25.9% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 24.3 percentage points (the stock gained 42.6% while the market gained 18.3%) | +24.3% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 5 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a strong uptrend, with buyers in control, a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, outperforming the market over 6 months, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 5 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 1 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it is currently in a bearish state: MACD momentum is negative — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 1 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 31% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 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 3.6% of the share price. | +31.4% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 28% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $48.07 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 160 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +28.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 5% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-23 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $58.67 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 22 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +5.0% |
Price levels it has turned at before
ACU last closed at $61.61 on 2026-08-24. Since 2024-08-26 it has turned at 10 prices below its last close and 0 above; the 3 nearest below are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $46.97 | Support | 23.8% below the last close | turned there three times · 2026-02-26 to 2026-04-22 |
| $44.98 | Support | 27.0% below the last close | turned there 9 times · 2024-09-03 to 2026-07-22 |
| $43.84 | Support | 28.9% below the last close | turned there four times · 2024-09-16 to 2026-07-02 |
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
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 5 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes below $54.62.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones. It was chosen from 3 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $61.23 and $71.92 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-24.
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 · Near the 52-week high · MACD just crossed bearish (12/26/9) · in a strong, established uptrend (ADX) · Near the all-time high · beating the market | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout · all time high
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-24. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingHold (3.00 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 1 analyst
- Mean price target$58.00 range $58.00 – $58.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-24. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Impact of global economic uncertainties and inflation on supply chains and consumer spending","Risks associated with international trade policies and tariff fluctuations","Seasonality of business performance due to back-to-school demand cycles"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of ACU's 10-Q filed 2026-05-06 against the prior one filed 2025-11-06.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added reference to 'wars in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East' in forward-looking statements risk factors (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Added disclosure of My Medic asset acquisition on January 15, 2026 with incremental sales impact (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Added disclosure of cutting and sharpening product line acquisition on October 1, 2025 (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Added detail that tariff expenses were recognized in first quarter as Company sold inventory subject to high 2025 tariff rates (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Added disclosure of investments in enhanced quality assurance protocols at Med-Nap facility (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Added disclosure of rising employee healthcare expenses impact on operating income (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Removed:
- Removed reference to 'nine months ended' period comparisons and nine-month consolidated sales figures (older filing, 2025-11-06 contained these; newer filing does not)
- Removed detailed nine-month period analysis for U.S., Canada, and European segments (older filing, 2025-11-06)
- Removed nine-month gross profit comparisons (older filing, 2025-11-06)
- Removed nine-month SG&A expense comparisons and percentages (older filing, 2025-11-06)
- Removed nine-month operating income comparisons by segment (older filing, 2025-11-06)
- Removed discussion of school and office products sales decline due to tariff uncertainty and customer order cancellations (older filing, 2025-11-06)
- Reworded:
- Changed forward-looking statement indicator from 'expect' to 'may' in first paragraph (older: 'expect'; newer: 'may')
- Reordered risk factor (iv) from 'wars in Ukraine and the Middle East' to 'wars in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East and Ukraine' (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Updated Form 10-K reference year from December 31, 2024 to December 31, 2025 (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Changed reporting period from 'three months ended September 30, 2025' to 'three months ended March 31, 2026' (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Changed prior year comparison from 2024 to 2025 for all quarterly metrics (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Changed net sales increase characterization from '2%' to '14%' overall with '6%' comparable sales (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Changed gross profit margin from 39.1% to 39.7% (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Changed SG&A expense percentage from 33.0% to 36.4% (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Changed operating income from $3,007,000 to $1,746,000 (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Changed interest expense net from $422,000 to $486,000 (newer filing, 2026-05-06)
- Notes:
- The two filings report different fiscal periods (September 30, 2025 vs. March 31, 2026), making direct operational comparisons structural rather than substantive changes
- The newer filing is truncated at 'During the first three months of 2026, working capital increased approximately' which prevents full assessment of Financial Condition section
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
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 12 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 30 days0 buys · 11 sells ($2M) — 3 selling insiders
- Last 90 days0 buys · 12 sells ($2M) — 3 selling insiders
- Last 180 days0 buys · 12 sells ($2M) — 3 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-08-18. As of 2026-08-25.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about ACU'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 ACU as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 332,141
- Reported value $14,923,227
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 1 new, 3 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)
ACU had 62,297 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
ACU had 1.62% 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 1.92 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 62,297
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 1.62%
- Prior settlement (shares) 94,361
- Reported change -33.98%
- Days to cover (reported) 1.92
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
- 3M (MMM)
- Fiskars (FSKRS.HE)
- Crayola
- BIC (BBIC.PA)
- Office Depot (ODP)
- Staples
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 ACME UNITED CORP (ACU) do?
Acme United Corp is a global supplier of innovative safety, cutting, and measuring products. The company offers a wide range of goods including first aid and safety kits, cutting tools, sharpening systems, and measuring instruments for school, home, and office use. Its products are sold under various brands to retailers, wholesalers, and industrial distributors.
What sector is ACME UNITED CORP (ACU) in?
ACME UNITED CORP (ACU) is classified in the Health Care sector. Its industry is consumer products / school & office supplies. It trades on NYSE American.
Does ACU pay a dividend?
Yes — ACME UNITED CORP (ACU) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 1.54% and at least 2 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are ACME UNITED CORP's (ACU) competitors?
Notable peers of ACME UNITED CORP (ACU) include 3M, Fiskars (FSKRS.HE), Crayola, BIC and Office Depot. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is ACME UNITED CORP (ACU) overbought or oversold right now?
ACME UNITED CORP (ACU) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 66, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-24). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on ACU come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; 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 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-24.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.