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Acme UnitedACU +2.84%78 Debt-to-Equity is 0.42 as of Mar. 2026, which is 42% below its 10-year median of 0.72. GuruFocus rates ACU with a GF Score™ of 78/100 and a GF Value™ of $40.53 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,743 Consumer Packaged Goods companies, Acme United ranks worse than 50.09% on this metric.
A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.
The historical rank and industry rank for Acme United's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
ACU'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.24 Med: 0.72 Max: 0.96
Current: 0.42
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Acme United was 0.96. The lowest was 0.24. And the median was 0.72.
ACU's Debt-to-Equity is ranked worse than 50.09% of 1743
companies
in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry
Industry Median: 0.41
vs ACU: 0.42
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.
Acme United Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Acme United Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Acme United's Debt-to-Equity 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.
For the Household & Personal Products subindustry, Acme United's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity 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-Equity vs Consumer Packaged Goods Industry
For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Acme United's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Acme United's Debt-to-Equity falls into.
* 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 (ACU) has a Debt-to-Equity of 0.42 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Acme United and its competitors. This is 42% below median its historical median of 0.72. Over the past decade, Acme United's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.24 to 0.96. According to the industry distribution chart, Acme United ranks #873 out of 1743 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, placing it in the top 50.1%.
Is Acme United's Debt-to-Equity too high?
Acme United's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.42 is 42% below median its 10-year median of 0.72. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.24 to a high of 0.96. The Consumer Packaged Goods industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.41. Acme United's value of 0.42 is 2.4% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Acme United ranks #873 out of 1743 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Acme United has a GF Score™ of 78/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Acme United's Debt-to-Equity compare to WALD and NUS?
According to the Consumer Packaged Goods industry distribution chart, Acme United ranks #873 out of 1743 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places Acme United in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.41. Acme United's value of 0.42 is 2.4% above this benchmark. Historically, Acme United's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.24 to 0.96 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.72 vs. the industry median of 0.41, 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-Equity for a Consumer Packaged Goods company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Consumer Packaged Goods companies is 0.41, based on 1,743 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Acme United's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.42 is 2.4% 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-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Acme United and its competitors. For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.41 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Acme United's current Debt-to-Equity is 0.42, which is 42% below median its own 10-year median of 0.72. 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 Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $40.53, compared to a current price of $53.94 — trading 33.1% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 0.42, which is 42% below median its 10-year median of 0.72 and 2.4% above the Consumer Packaged Goods industry median of 0.41. Acme United's overall GF Score™ is 78/100 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-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Acme United (ACU), the current Debt-to-Equity is 0.42 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 $53.94 is trading 33.1% above its estimated GF Value™ of $40.53.
GuruFocus considers Acme United to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for ACU:
Debt-to-Equity: 0.42 (42% below median its 10-year median of 0.72)
GF Value™: $40.53 vs. price of $53.94 (33.1% above fair value)
Industry Position: 2.4% above the Consumer Packaged Goods median (#873 of 1743)
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 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.
78GF Score
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