Acme United Corporation
ACU
$37.07 -0.46%
Exchange: AMEX | Sector: Consumer Defensive | Industry: Household Personal Products
Q3 2024
Published: Nov 8, 2024

Earnings Highlights

  • Revenue of $48.17M down 4.4% year-over-year
  • EPS of $0.54 increased by 0% from previous year
  • Gross margin of 38.5%
  • Net income of 2.23M
  • "First in the Westcott area, our factories are moving operations with us into Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines." - Walter C. Johnsen
ACU
Company ACU

Executive Summary

Executive Summary (Q3 2024 ACU): Acme United reported third-quarter revenue of $48.2 million, down 4% versus the prior year, largely reflecting the December 2023 sale of the Camillus and Cuda lines, which reduced quarterly top-line by a non-operational amount. Excluding Camillus/Cuda, Q3 revenue rose 4%, underscoring the resilience of the core First Aid, Westcott, and DMT portfolios. Net income climbed 3% to $2.23 million, while diluted EPS declined to $0.54 from $0.58, driven by a higher weighted average share count used for the period. The company’s gross margin stood at 38.5% in Q3 (38.7% prior year) and expanded to 39.4% for the first nine months of 2024 (versus 37.3% in 2023), aided by manufacturing and distribution productivity. Operating margin was 6.07% in Q3 (6.07% implied), with nine-month margins trending higher due to mix and productivity gains. Free cash flow for the trailing nine months was $7.52 million, and cash flow from operations was $8.87 million, supporting a leverage reduction over the period. Management reaffirmed a constructive outlook, signaling continued earnings and cash-flow strength, balance-sheet strengthening, and active pursuit of accretive acquisitions. The company also highlighted ongoing productivity improvements, automation investments, and strategic product-line integrations (notably Elite First Aid) to broaden high-margin offerings and improve replenishment capabilities via RFID-enabled kits. The remaining year may witness continued growth in the Westcott and DMT lines, though macro uncertainty and customer-channel softness pose near-term headwinds in select segments.

Key Performance Indicators

Revenue
Decreasing
48.17M
QoQ: -13.10% | YoY: -4.40%
Gross Profit
Decreasing
18.56M
38.54% margin
QoQ: -17.96% | YoY: -4.81%
Operating Income
Decreasing
2.93M
QoQ: -54.10% | YoY: -19.99%
Net Income
Increasing
2.23M
QoQ: -50.00% | YoY: 3.44%
EPS
Stable
0.60
QoQ: -50.41% | YoY: 0.00%

Revenue Trend

Margin Analysis

Historical Earnings Comparison

PeriodRevenue ($M)EPS ($)YoY GrowthReport
Q3 2025 0.05 0.46 -99.9% View
Q2 2025 54.00 1.16 -2.6% View
Q1 2025 45.96 0.41 +2.2% View
Q4 2024 45.94 0.41 +9.5% View
Q3 2024 48.17 0.54 -4.4% View