Acme United (NYSE:ACU) Upgraded to Strong-Buy by Singular Research

Singular Research upgraded shares of Acme United (NYSE:ACU) from a moderate buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released 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 upgraded shares of Acme United from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, July 20th.

Acme United Price Performance

Shares of ACU opened at $38.73 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $36.15 and its 200-day moving average is $41.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.51 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.75 million, a PE ratio of 16.07 and a beta of 0.66. Acme United has a fifty-two week low of $25.01 and a fifty-two week high of $50.99.

Acme United (NYSE:ACU) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $55.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $56.50 million. Acme United had a return on equity of 10.40% and a net margin of 10.09%. Equities analysts forecast 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 paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. Acme United’s payout ratio is 12.50%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Brian S. Olschan sold 1,219 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.30, for a total transaction of $49,125.70. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 41,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,656,450.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Brian S. Olschan sold 1,219 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.30, for a total transaction of $49,125.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 41,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,656,450.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Brian S. Olschan sold 5,566 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 41,103 shares in the company, valued at $1,764,551.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,905 shares of company stock worth $658,194. 34.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Acme United

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Evercore Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Acme United in the fourth quarter valued at about $219,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Acme United in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Acme United by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 14,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $627,000 after buying an additional 2,204 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Acme United by 71.0% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 26,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,257,000 after buying an additional 11,113 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Acme United by 117.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 29,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,400,000 after acquiring an additional 16,128 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.10% of the company’s stock.

About Acme United

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.