vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of ACCO BRANDS Corp (ACCO) and ASHLAND INC. (ASH), based on the latest 10-Q / 10-K filings. Click either name above to swap in a different company.
ACCO BRANDS Corp is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($428.8M vs $386.0M, roughly 1.1× ASHLAND INC.). ACCO BRANDS Corp runs the higher net margin — 5.0% vs -3.1%, a 8.1% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, ACCO BRANDS Corp posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (-4.3% vs -4.7%). Over the past eight quarters, ACCO BRANDS Corp's revenue compounded faster (9.3% CAGR vs -18.1%).
ACCO Brands Corporation is an American multinational company. It was created by the merger of ACCO World from Fortune Brands with General Binding Corporation (GBC). As of 2025, its president and CEO is Thomas W. Tedford.
Ashland, Inc., is an American chemical company headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. The company began as an oil refinery in the city of Ashland, Kentucky, in 1924, before moving to Wilmington in 1994. The company has five wholly owned divisions, which include Chemical Intermediates and Solvents, composites, industrial specialties, personal and home care, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and agriculture. Until 2017, the company was the primary manufacturer of Valvoline.
ACCO vs ASH — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 2025 vs Q1 2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $428.8M | $386.0M |
| Net Profit | $21.3M | $-12.0M |
| Gross Margin | 33.6% | 27.2% |
| Operating Margin | 9.3% | -1.6% |
| Net Margin | 5.0% | -3.1% |
| Revenue YoY | -4.3% | -4.7% |
| Net Profit YoY | 3.4% | 92.7% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.23 | $-0.26 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align — see 8-quarter trend below.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history — bar widths are scaled to the larger of the two companies so you can eyeball the size gap and growth trajectory without doing math. Quarters aligned by calendar period (report date) so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $428.8M | $386.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $383.7M | $477.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $394.8M | $463.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $317.4M | $479.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $448.1M | $405.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $420.9M | $521.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $438.3M | $544.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $358.9M | $575.0M |
| Q4 25 | $21.3M | $-12.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.0M | $31.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $29.2M | $-742.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-13.2M | $31.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $20.6M | $-165.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.3M | $17.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-125.2M | $6.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-6.3M | $120.0M |
| Q4 25 | 33.6% | 27.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 33.0% | 33.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 32.9% | 28.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 31.4% | 30.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 34.7% | 27.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 32.5% | 33.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 34.8% | 34.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 30.8% | 28.0% |
| Q4 25 | 9.3% | -1.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.8% | 12.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.4% | -152.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | -2.1% | 10.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 9.4% | -44.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.2% | 6.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | -25.4% | -11.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.6% | 3.7% |
| Q4 25 | 5.0% | -3.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.0% | 6.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.4% | -160.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | -4.2% | 6.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 4.6% | -40.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.2% | 3.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | -28.6% | 1.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | -1.8% | 20.9% |
| Q4 25 | $0.23 | $-0.26 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.04 | $0.83 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.31 | $-16.21 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-0.14 | $0.65 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.21 | $-3.50 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.09 | $0.34 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-1.29 | $0.12 | ||
| Q1 24 | $-0.07 | $2.39 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest filing — the kind of financial-strength check premium terminals charge for.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | — | $304.0M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | $1.4B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $664.6M | $1.9B |
| Total Assets | $2.3B | $4.5B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.74× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | — | $304.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $215.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $207.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $168.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $219.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $300.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $399.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $439.0M |
| Q4 25 | — | $1.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $1.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $1.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $1.3B |
| Q4 25 | $664.6M | $1.9B | ||
| Q3 25 | $644.0M | $1.9B | ||
| Q2 25 | $637.3M | $1.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $606.1M | $2.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $606.1M | $2.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $615.5M | $2.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $617.1M | $3.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $758.5M | $3.1B |
| Q4 25 | $2.3B | $4.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.3B | $4.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.4B | $4.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.3B | $5.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.2B | $5.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.4B | $5.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.4B | $5.7B | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.5B | $5.9B |
| Q4 25 | — | 0.74× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.73× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.73× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.52× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.51× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.47× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.45× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 0.42× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Net income can be massaged; cash flow is harder to fake.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $30.6M | $125.0M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | — | $111.0M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | — | 28.8% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue; lower = less reinvestment burden | — | 3.6% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit; >1× = earnings back up with cash | 1.44× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $200.0M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | $30.6M | $125.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $71.5M | $40.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-38.9M | $115.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.5M | $9.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $52.7M | $-30.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $92.9M | $80.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-25.6M | $127.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $28.2M | $54.0M |
| Q4 25 | — | $111.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $6.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $95.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $-12.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $-53.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $42.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $98.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $20.0M |
| Q4 25 | — | 28.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 1.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 20.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | -2.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | -13.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 8.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 18.0% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 3.5% |
| Q4 25 | — | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 7.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 4.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 4.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 5.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 7.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 5.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 5.9% |
| Q4 25 | 1.44× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 17.88× | 1.29× | ||
| Q2 25 | -1.33× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.29× | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.56× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 9.99× | 4.71× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 21.17× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 0.45× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Sankey diagram of revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company. Charts shown full-width and stacked so both segment hierarchies are readable side-by-side on desktop and mobile.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
ACCO
| Transferred At Point In Time | $421.6M | 98% |
| Transferred Over Time | $7.2M | 2% |
ASH
| Personal Care And Household | $123.0M | 32% |
| Other | $120.0M | 31% |
| Specialty Additives | $36.0M | 9% |
| Intermediates And Solvents | $31.0M | 8% |
| Personal Care | $30.0M | 8% |
| Life Sciences | $27.0M | 7% |
| Intermediates | $19.0M | 5% |
