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Side-by-side financial comparison of ACME UNITED CORP (ACU) and A. O. Smith (AOS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
A. O. Smith is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($912.5M vs $52.3M, roughly 17.4× ACME UNITED CORP). A. O. Smith runs the higher net margin — 13.7% vs 1.9%, a 11.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, ACME UNITED CORP posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (13.8% vs 0.0%). Over the past eight quarters, ACME UNITED CORP's revenue compounded faster (-2.9% CAGR vs -3.4%).
Acme United Corporation is a supplier of cutting, measuring and safety products for the school, home, office, hardware and industrial markets. The company was organized as a partnership in 1867 and incorporated in 1873 under the laws of the State of Connecticut. It is publicly traded on the NYSE American with symbol ACU.
A. O. Smith Corporation is an American manufacturer of both residential and commercial water heaters and boilers, and the largest manufacturer and marketer of water heaters in North America. It also supplies water treatment and purification products in the Asian market. The company has 27 locations worldwide, including five manufacturing facilities in North America, as well as plants in Bengaluru in India, Nanjing in China and Veldhoven in The Netherlands.
ACU vs AOS — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 2026 vs Q4 2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $52.3M | $912.5M |
| Net Profit | $985.0K | $125.4M |
| Gross Margin | 39.7% | 38.4% |
| Operating Margin | 3.3% | 17.9% |
| Net Margin | 1.9% | 13.7% |
| Revenue YoY | 13.8% | 0.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | -40.4% | 14.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.24 | $0.89 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | $52.3M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $47.5M | $912.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $49.1M | $942.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $54.0M | $1.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $46.0M | $963.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $45.9M | $912.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $48.2M | $902.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $55.4M | $1.0B |
| Q1 26 | $985.0K | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.9M | $125.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.9M | $132.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.8M | $152.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.7M | $136.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.7M | $109.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.2M | $120.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.5M | $156.2M |
| Q1 26 | 39.7% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 38.2% | 38.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 39.1% | 38.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 41.0% | 39.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 39.0% | 38.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 38.7% | 37.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 38.5% | 37.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 40.8% | 38.7% |
| Q1 26 | 3.3% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 6.1% | 17.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.1% | 18.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.8% | 20.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 5.3% | 19.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.0% | 10.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.1% | 19.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 11.5% | 21.9% |
| Q1 26 | 1.9% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 3.9% | 13.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.9% | 14.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.8% | 15.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.6% | 14.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.7% | 12.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.6% | 13.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.0% | 15.2% |
| Q1 26 | $0.24 | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $0.46 | $0.89 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.46 | $0.94 | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.16 | $1.07 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.41 | $0.95 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.43 | $0.75 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.54 | $0.82 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.09 | $1.06 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $4.2M | $193.2M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $33.0M | $155.0M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $116.7M | $1.9B |
| Total Assets | $195.2M | $3.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.28× | 0.08× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | $4.2M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $3.6M | $193.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.1M | $172.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.6M | $177.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.4M | $200.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.4M | $276.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.7M | $255.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.8M | $233.3M |
| Q1 26 | $33.0M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $155.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $193.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
| Q1 26 | $116.7M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $117.6M | $1.9B | ||
| Q3 25 | $115.8M | $1.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $113.7M | $1.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $108.3M | $1.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $107.0M | $1.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $106.3M | $1.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $104.0M | $1.9B |
| Q1 26 | $195.2M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $171.0M | $3.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $173.0M | $3.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $170.9M | $3.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $163.0M | $3.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $162.2M | $3.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $165.5M | $3.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $173.5M | $3.2B |
| Q1 26 | 0.28× | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 0.08× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.10× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | — | $183.1M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | — | $165.5M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | — | 18.1% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | — | 1.9% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 1.46× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $546.0M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $8.2M | $183.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.1M | $255.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $6.3M | $139.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-3.3M | $38.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.4M | $221.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $8.9M | $195.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.9M | $57.4M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $7.3M | $165.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $301.0K | $240.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.7M | $122.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-4.7M | $17.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.7M | $191.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.5M | $163.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.4M | $34.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 15.3% | 18.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.6% | 25.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.7% | 12.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | -10.2% | 1.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 10.2% | 21.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 15.6% | 18.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.0% | 3.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.9% | 1.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 13.8% | 1.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.0% | 1.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.9% | 2.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.7% | 3.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.8% | 3.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.5% | 2.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 4.34× | 1.46× | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.72× | 1.93× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.33× | 0.92× | ||
| Q1 25 | -2.02× | 0.28× | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.73× | 2.02× | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.99× | 1.63× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.55× | 0.37× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
ACU
Segment breakdown not available.
AOS
| North America Segment | $713.7M | 78% |
| Rest Of World | $158.3M | 17% |
| Other | $40.5M | 4% |
