ACU (Acme United) Debt-to-EBITDA : 3.34 (As of Mar. 2026) — Near Median

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ACU Acme United Corp ACU
80 GF Score
Price $47.55
GF Value $40.50
Valuation Modestly Overvalued
! 7 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Acme United Debt-to-EBITDA?

Acme United ACU +0.06% 80 Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.34 as of Mar. 2026, which is 5% above its 10-year median of 3.18. GuruFocus rates ACU with a GF Score™ of 80/100 and a GF Value™ of $40.50 (Modestly Overvalued). The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,549 Consumer Packaged Goods companies, Acme United ranks worse than 54.29% on this metric.

Debt-to-EBITDA measures a company's ability to pay off its debt.

Acme United's Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $1.8 Mil. Acme United's Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $47.6 Mil. Acme United's annualized EBITDA for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $14.8 Mil. Acme United's annualized Debt-to-EBITDA for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 3.34.

A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt. According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.

The historical rank and industry rank for Acme United's Debt-to-EBITDA or its related term are showing as below:

ACU' s Debt-to-EBITDA Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.84   Med: 3.18   Max: 6
Current: 2.39

During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio of Acme United was 6.00. The lowest was 0.84. And the median was 3.18.

ACU's Debt-to-EBITDA is ranked worse than
54.29% of 1549 companies
in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry
Industry Median: 2.06 vs ACU: 2.39

Acme United  (AMEX:ACU) Debt-to-EBITDA Explanation

In the calculation of Debt-to-EBITDA, we use the total of Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation divided by EBITDA. In some calculations, Total Liabilities is used to for calculation.


Be Aware

A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt.

According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.


Acme United Debt-to-EBITDA Related Terms


Acme United Debt-to-EBITDA Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Acme United's Debt-to-EBITDA can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Acme United Debt-to-EBITDA Chart

Acme United Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Debt-to-EBITDA
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 2.38 6.00 0.84 1.62 1.37

Acme United Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Debt-to-EBITDA Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 2.19 1.06 1.98 1.62 3.34

ACU vs WALD, NUS, SKIN: Debt-to-EBITDA Comparison

For the Household & Personal Products subindustry, Acme United's Debt-to-EBITDA, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-EBITDA data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Acme United Debt-to-EBITDA vs Consumer Packaged Goods Industry

For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Acme United's Debt-to-EBITDA distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Acme United's Debt-to-EBITDA falls into.


ACU
80GF Score
Acme United Corp ACU
Debt-to-EBITDA is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Acme United Debt-to-EBITDA Calculation

Debt-to-EBITDA measures a company's ability to pay off its debt.

Acme United's Debt-to-EBITDA for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as

Debt-to-EBITDA=Total Debt / EBITDA
=(Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation + Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation) / EBITDA
=(1.9 + 26.816) / 21.024
=1.37

Acme United's annualized Debt-to-EBITDA for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 is calculated as

Debt-to-EBITDA=Total Debt / EBITDA
=(Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation + Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation) / EBITDA
=(1.831 + 47.568) / 14.804
=3.34

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

In the calculation of annual Debt-to-EBITDA, the EBITDA of the last fiscal year is used. In calculating the annualized quarterly data, the EBITDA data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) EBITDA data.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Debt-to-EBITDA →
What does a Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.34 mean?
Acme United (ACU) has a Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.34 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Acme United. This is near median its historical median of 3.18. Over the past decade, Acme United's Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 0.84 to 6.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Acme United ranks #841 out of 1549 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, placing it in the top 54.3%.
Is Acme United's Debt-to-EBITDA too high?
Acme United's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.34 is near median its 10-year median of 3.18. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.84 to a high of 6.00. The Consumer Packaged Goods industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.06. Acme United's value of 3.34 is 62.1% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Acme United ranks #841 out of 1549 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Acme United has a GF Score™ of 80/100 and is considered Modestly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Acme United's Debt-to-EBITDA compare to WALD and NUS?
According to the Consumer Packaged Goods industry distribution chart, Acme United ranks #841 out of 1549 companies for Debt-to-EBITDA. This places Acme United in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.06. Acme United's value of 3.34 is 62.1% above this benchmark. Historically, Acme United's own Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 0.84 to 6.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 3.18 vs. the industry median of 2.06, Acme United has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-EBITDA for a Consumer Packaged Goods company?
The median Debt-to-EBITDA among Consumer Packaged Goods companies is 2.06, based on 1,549 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-EBITDA significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-EBITDA should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Acme United's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.34 is 62.1% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-EBITDA mean?
A high Debt-to-EBITDA can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Acme United. For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, the median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.06 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Acme United's current Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.34, which is near median its own 10-year median of 3.18. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Acme United stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Acme United (ACU) is currently considered Modestly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $40.50, compared to a current price of $47.55 — trading 17.4% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.34, which is near median its 10-year median of 3.18 and 62.1% above the Consumer Packaged Goods industry median of 2.06. Acme United's overall GF Score™ is 80/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-EBITDA calculated?
Debt-to-EBITDA is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Acme United (ACU), the current Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.34 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Acme United (ACU) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Acme United stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of $47.55 is trading 17.4% above its estimated GF Value™ of $40.50. GuruFocus considers Acme United to be Modestly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for ACU:

  • Debt-to-EBITDA: 3.34 (near median its 10-year median of 3.18)
  • GF Value™: $40.50 vs. price of $47.55 (17.4% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 80/100 with 7 warning signs
  • Industry Position: 62.1% above the Consumer Packaged Goods median (#841 of 1549)

No single metric tells the full story. See the ACU stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Acme United Business Description

Address 1 Waterview Drive, Shelton, CT, USA, 06484
Acme United Corp is a supplier of first aid and medical products and cutting technology to the school, home, office, hardware, sporting goods, and industrial markets. Its principal products sold across all segments are first aid kits and medical products, scissors, shears, knives, rulers, pencil sharpeners, and sharpening tools. The Company sells its products to mass market and e-commerce retailers, industrial distributors, wholesale, contract, and retail stationery distributors, office supply superstores, sporting goods stores, and hardware chains. The Company's reportable business segments consist of the United States, Canada, and Europe, out of which the majority of the company's revenue is derived from the United States.
80GF Score

Get the complete analysis for ACU

Debt-to-EBITDA is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$47.55
Price
$40.50
GF Value