Acme United Corporation
ACU
$37.07 -0.46%
Exchange: AMEX | Sector: Consumer Defensive | Industry: Household Personal Products
Q4 2024
Published: Mar 6, 2025

Earnings Highlights

  • Revenue of $45.94M up 9.5% year-over-year
  • EPS of $0.41 decreased by 85.5% from previous year
  • Gross margin of 38.7%
  • Net income of 1.71M
  • ""Acme United had a strong year in 2024. We had record net sales of $194.4 million and record EBITDA of $20 million."" - Walter C. Johnsen
ACU
Company ACU

Executive Summary

Acme United reported a solid finish to 2024 with topline growth and margin expansion, underscoring the strength of its diversified portfolio across First Aid, Westcott cutting tools, and DMT sharpening products. For the fourth quarter, revenue rose to $45.9 million (+~10% YoY) and gross margin stood at 38.7%, while full-year revenue reached $194.5 million (+2% YoY, +6% excluding Camillus/Cuda dispositions). Management emphasized productivity initiatives that yielded more than $2 million in annual savings and highlighted the RFID-enabled SmartCompliance first aid cabinets as a core driver of annuity-based revenue and customer stickiness. EBITDA for the year was a record $20 million, and net income rose to $10 million with diluted EPS of $2.45, up from $2.23 in 2023. The company used proceeds from the 2023 sale of the Camillus and CUDA lines to reduce debt and position for growth, resulting in a leaner capital structure and improved operating leverage.

Looking into 2025, Acme stressed tariff-related headwinds but underscored a well-diversified sourcing footprint (domestic manufacturing and multi-country sourcing, including Egypt and Thailand) and ongoing price-mostly-inflation pass-throughs to protect margins. Management signaled readiness to respond to tariff changes through cost reduction, mix optimization, and potential further vertical integration if tariffs intensify. The company also highlighted continued capacity expansion (e.g., Rocky Mount distribution center) and channel expansion (Canada/Europe) as catalysts for controlled growth. Overall, the setup suggests a resilient earnings trajectory with modest revenue growth and continued margin discipline, contingent on tariff dynamics and macro conditions.

Key Performance Indicators

Revenue
Increasing
45.94M
QoQ: -4.62% | YoY: 9.54%
Gross Profit
Increasing
17.77M
38.67% margin
QoQ: -4.30% | YoY: 8.30%
Operating Income
Increasing
2.28M
QoQ: -22.01% | YoY: 9.03%
Net Income
Decreasing
1.71M
QoQ: -23.18% | YoY: -84.74%
EPS
Decreasing
0.45
QoQ: -25.00% | YoY: -85.48%

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