Acme United Corporation

ACU

Household & Personal Products · Consumer Defensive

Price

$60.96

-1.14 (-1.84%)

Market Cap

$232.3M

Exchange

New York Stock Exchange American

Winston Score

Winston is curious

A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.

Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

How the score breaks down

Quality

Good

Growth

Mixed

Cash Flow

Strong

Stability

Exceptional

Valuation

Mixed

Dividends

Mixed

Track this stock — start free trial

Share count rising — dilution

+3.3% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 4.0M (2021) → 4.1M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Acme United Corporation makes cutting tools and safety products that people use every day. Its main products include scissors, knives, rulers, and first-aid kits sold under brand names like Westcott, Clauss, and PhysiciansCare. The company sells to schools, offices, medical facilities, and industrial workplaces across North America and Europe.

Acme United earns money by selling its products through retailers, distributors, and direct channels to businesses and institutions. It is a small company with a market cap of around $200 million, competing against much larger consumer goods brands. Its competitive edge comes from long-standing brand recognition in niche product categories and established relationships with major retail and distribution partners. The main risk the company faces is pricing pressure from larger competitors and private-label alternatives, while its key growth opportunity lies in expanding its first-aid and safety product lines into new commercial and industrial customers.

Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+16.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+4.8% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow EPS growth

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (2%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

21.4%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$5,041 cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

Acme United Corporation is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 16%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale

Gross Margin

42.6%

Healthy — 42.6% gross margin

Profit after running costs

Operating Margin

10.9%

Modest — 10.9% operating margin

Return on the money invested

ROCE

9706.0%

Exceptional — 9706.0% return on capital

ROIC above 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns more than 25 cents back per year.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales growth

Sales YoY

+9.0%

Steady sales growth (+9.0% YoY)

Profit growth

EPS YoY

-6.5%

Earnings shrinking (-6.5% YoY)

Slight earnings drop. Typical near a cyclical low.

How steady the profit is

EPS Consistency

3/8 quarters

Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash

Cash Conversion

133%

Turns 133% of profit into real cash

Spare cash per sale

FCF Margin

1.7%

Thin free cash flow (1.7%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

What it owes vs what it owns

Debt / Equity

0.23

Conservative — low debt load (0.23)

Covers its interest

Interest Cover

10.42x

Comfortably covers interest (10.4x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

Price vs profit

P/E Ratio (TTM)

23.7x

Growth-priced — P/E 23.7

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year

P/E vs Forward

-0.9

SLOWING

Earnings expected to fall — forward P/E higher than today

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Dividend

Dividend Yield

1.02%

Small dividend — 1.02% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend record

Dividend Growth

+4.9%

Dividend growing modestly (4.9% YoY)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.

Start free trial