American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 16,796 Shares of Acme United Co. (NYSE:ACU)

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Acme United Co. (NYSE:ACU) by 53.9% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 47,933 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,796 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Acme United were worth $1,681,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Acme United by 117.3% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 29,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,400,000 after purchasing an additional 16,128 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Acme United by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,713,000 after buying an additional 10,675 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Acme United by 7.5% in the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 10,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in Acme United by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 14,620 shares of the company’s stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 2,204 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evercore Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Acme United in the fourth quarter valued at $219,000. Institutional investors own 62.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Acme United

In related news, COO Brian S. Olschan sold 3,149 shares of Acme United stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.88, for a total transaction of $128,731.12. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 41,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,680,290.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 34.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Acme United from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 20th. Singular Research upgraded Acme United from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th.

Acme United Price Performance

NYSE:ACU opened at $40.35 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $147.76 million, a P/E ratio of 8.41 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $41.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.13. Acme United Co. has a one year low of $26.32 and a one year high of $50.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 3.79 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

Acme United (NYSE:ACU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 19th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.15. Acme United had a return on equity of 10.14% and a net margin of 10.09%. The firm had revenue of $55.43 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $56.50 million. Equities analysts expect that Acme United Co. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Acme United Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. Acme United’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.50%.

Acme United Profile

Acme United Corporation supplies cutting, measuring, first aid, and sharpening products to the school, home, office, hardware, sporting goods, and industrial markets in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company offers scissors, shears, knives, rulers, pencil sharpeners, paper trimmers, safety cutters, lettering products, glue guns, and other craft products under the Westcott brand name; and cutting tools under the Clauss brand.