ACCO

ACCO Brands

Fundamental data last updated:April 13, 2026

company profile

SECTOR

Industrials

industry

Business Equipment & Supplies

Exchange

NYSE

County of HQ

United States

Next Earnings Date

05/07/26

Business Summary

ACCO Brands generates cash by manufacturing and distributing branded office and business products sold through mass retailers, commercial resellers, and e-commerce channels. Its moat is rooted in brand recognition, entrenched retail shelf space, and long-standing distribution relationships that create recurring reorder patterns. The business converts revenue into cash through scale-driven procurement and manufacturing efficiencies, reflected in its positive Operating Margin of 6.20%. However, the moat is more distribution-based than technological, meaning its durability depends heavily on cost control, brand retention, and maintaining relevance in a gradually digitizing workplace environment.

VALUATION

P/E

6.8

Market Cap ($M USD)

$277

Forward P/E

3.2

PEG

0.5

PRICE TO SALES

0.2

PRICE TO BOOK

0.4

EV / EBITDA

6.8

5-Year Average P/E

DIVIDEND

Yield

10.00%

Annual Payout

$0.30

Payout Ratio

66.70%

Consecutive Years of Dividend Growth

0

5-Year Dividend Growth Rate

2.90%

Financial Health & Profitability

Earnings Per Share

$0.45

Next Year EPS Growth Estimate

$0.95

Next Year Revenue Growth Estimate

0.80%

Return on Equity (ROE)

6.20%

Operating Margin

7.00%

Debt-to-Equity

1.4

Piotroski F-Score

6

Altman Z-Score

0.7

Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)

4.60%%

Current Ratio

1.6

Quick Ratio

Gainseekers Quantitative Analysis

Summary

ACCO is priced like a distressed asset, not a stable industrial operator. A trailing P/E of 6.8 collapsing to a Forward P/E of 3.2 combined with a PEG Forward of 0.5 screams deep value, but the Altman Z-Score of 0.7 signals real balance sheet stress and non-trivial financial risk. The market is clearly discounting solvency concerns and weak profitability, and while the valuation implies upside if stability returns, the capital structure and weak Return on Equity of 0.80% make this a statistically cheap but fundamentally fragile situation rather than a clean mispricing.

AI Exposure / Tech Reliance

As a Business Equipment & Supplies company within Industrials, ACCO operates in a segment facing digitization pressure and workflow automation shifts. AI-driven document reduction, digitization, and office optimization trends could structurally reduce demand for traditional physical office products. Without clear evidence of margin expansion or tech-enabled transformation in its metrics, the company appears more exposed to disruption than positioned to benefit from it.

The Bull Case

A deep value or GARP investor could argue the setup is asymmetric: Price/Sales of 0.2 and Price/Book of 0.4 indicate the market is valuing assets and revenue at distressed levels, while Operating Margin of 6.20% shows the business remains operationally profitable. The Piotroski F-Score of 6 suggests middling but not deteriorating fundamentals, and ROIC at 4.60% exceeds zero, meaning capital is still generating positive returns. The Forward P/E of 3.2 alongside Sales Growth Next Year of $0.95 implies the market expects limited improvement despite forward earnings leverage, creating a scenario where even modest operational stabilization could re-rate the equity meaningfully. Institutional Ownership at $7.67 combined with a Consensus Rating of 6.50% suggests there is still some level of professional sponsorship, reinforcing the idea that this is a battered but not abandoned name.

The Bear Case

The red flags are substantial and cannot be ignored. Debt/Equity at 7.00% combined with an Altman Z-Score of 0.7 places the company in financial distress territory, and Return on Equity of just 0.80% indicates equity capital is barely compounding. The TTM Yield of 1.4 paired with a Dividend Per Share USD listed at 10.00% and a Payout Ratio of $0.30 signals inconsistency in capital return metrics, raising questions about sustainability. Short % of Float at 2.90% is not extreme, but the market is clearly skeptical given the depressed valuation, and if earnings disappoint ahead of the 05/07/26 report, the thin margin profile and leveraged balance sheet leave little room for error.

Market Sentiment & Smart Money

Short Interest %

6.50%

Analyst Consensus

2.33

Average Analyst Price Target

$7.67

Institutional Ownership %

82.90%

1-Year Beta

1.24

Insider Buying % (6 Mo)

2.70%%

Distance to 52-Week High

70.00%%

Distance to 52-Week Low

107.10%%