Acme United (NYSE:ACU) Lifted to Strong-Buy at Singular Research

Singular Research upgraded shares of Acme United (NYSE:ACU) from a moderate buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports. Singular Research also issued estimates for Acme United’s Q3 2024 earnings at $0.73 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.59 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $2.78 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $0.58 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $0.87 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.67 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $2.94 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Acme United from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, July 20th.

Acme United Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACU opened at $38.73 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 4.51, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $36.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.51. The company has a market cap of $141.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.07 and a beta of 0.66. Acme United has a 12 month low of $25.01 and a 12 month high of $50.99.

Acme United (NYSE:ACU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 19th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $55.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $56.50 million. Acme United had a return on equity of 10.40% and a net margin of 10.09%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Acme United will post 2.53 EPS for the current year.

Acme United Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 2nd were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. Acme United’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.50%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Brian S. Olschan sold 5,566 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.93, for a total value of $238,948.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 41,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,764,551.79. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Acme United news, COO Brian S. Olschan sold 1,219 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.30, for a total value of $49,125.70. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 41,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,656,450.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Brian S. Olschan sold 5,566 shares of Acme United stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.93, for a total value of $238,948.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 41,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,764,551.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,905 shares of company stock worth $658,194. Corporate insiders own 34.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Acme United

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Acme United during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in Acme United by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 14,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 2,204 shares during the last quarter. Evercore Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acme United in the 4th quarter worth $219,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Acme United by 8.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,858 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,713,000 after purchasing an additional 10,675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Acme United by 117.3% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 29,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,400,000 after purchasing an additional 16,128 shares in the last quarter. 62.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Acme United Company Profile

Acme United Corporation supplies cutting, measuring, first aid, and sharpening products to the school, home, office, hardware, sporting goods, and industrial markets in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company offers scissors, shears, knives, rulers, pencil sharpeners, paper trimmers, safety cutters, lettering products, glue guns, and other craft products under the Westcott brand name; and cutting tools under the Clauss brand.