Acco Brands (NYSE:ACCO) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Acco Brands (NYSE:ACCO) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Acco Brands from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Barrington Research set a $6.00 price objective on shares of Acco Brands in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.00.

Acco Brands Stock Up 25.7%

Shares of NYSE ACCO opened at $5.48 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $4.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.96. Acco Brands has a 12-month low of $2.81 and a 12-month high of $5.50. The company has a market capitalization of $505.85 million, a PE ratio of 7.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Acco Brands (NYSE:ACCO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $380.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $383.70 million. Acco Brands had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 13.54%. Equities analysts anticipate that Acco Brands will post 1.00 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Acco Brands

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Acco Brands during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,919,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Acco Brands in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,291,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Acco Brands in the second quarter valued at $4,079,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acco Brands during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,290,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in Acco Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,177,000. Institutional investors own 84.56% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Acco Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Acco Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings beat expectations. ACCO reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.28, well above the $0.19 analyst consensus and up from $0.21 a year earlier. Operating income increased to $30.3 million from $26.0 million. ACCO Brands Tops Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance was raised. ACCO now expects full-year reported sales growth of 4% to 6% and adjusted EPS of $0.98 to $1.02. The outlook includes a $0.12-per-share benefit from tariff refunds, while the Trust acquisition is expected to provide additional sales growth. ACCO Brands Third-Quarter Earnings Results
• Positive Sentiment: Tariff refunds and the Trust acquisition boosted the outlook. Net tariff refunds contributed $15.1 million to third-quarter operating income, or $0.11 per diluted share. ACCO also completed its Trust acquisition on October 1, expanding the company’s growth platform. Year-to-date free cash flow was $89 million, and cash totaled $174.7 million at quarter-end. ACCO Brands Reports Third-Quarter Results and Closes Trust Acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Underlying sales were largely flat. Revenue declined 0.9% year over year to $380.3 million and was slightly below the $383.7 million consensus estimate. This suggests that the earnings beat and improved outlook were driven partly by cost performance, tariff refunds and acquisition benefits rather than broad organic sales growth. ACCO Brands Reports Third-Quarter Sales and EPS
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors may view the earnings quality as less durable. The quarter benefited materially from one-time tariff refunds, while ACCO carries meaningful leverage with a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. A recent insider share sale also provides a modest cautionary signal, although it does not establish a broader change in management’s outlook.

Acco Brands Company Profile

ACCO Brands Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and office products. Its portfolio includes supplies and equipment used in workplaces, schools and homes, as well as products designed to support organization, productivity and personal technology.

The company’s brands include Swingline, Kensington, Mead, Five Star, GBC, Quartet and Esselte. Its products include staplers, punches, shredders, laminators, binding systems, presentation supplies, notebooks, planners, backpacks, computer accessories and other workspace and school supplies.

ACCO Brands traces its history to the American Clip Company, founded in 1903.