ACCO Brands Corporation

ACCO · Materials · $413M mkt cap · FY2025 filings · · No moat ·

Price verdict withheld — value if growth stopped today unreliable

No moat
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The five investor questions

10

2021–2025 (latest 5 aligned FYs; v3 window cap 5): revenue $2.0B to $1.5B, decreasing; diluted EPS 1.05 to 0.44, decreasing. Latest-filed diluted EPS remains usable for Business Trend, but an integer share-count change lacks enough evidence to confirm a comparable EPS basis; valuation growth therefore stays at 0%.

54

Median gross margin 32.5% over 10y, very stable.

6

Median ROIC 6.5%, above the 12% hurdle in 0% of years.

0

Net debt/EBITDA 4.7x, interest coverage 2x.

40

Owner earnings changed -11.9%/yr over up to the ten most recent annual observations.

Price vs. value if growth stopped today

A cautious baseline, not a price target: what the shares may support if normalized owner earnings simply hold steady.

Above value if growth stopped todayBelow value if growth stopped today
10% below value if growth stopped today
$41.3M
$5.09
$5.09
$4.58
10% below value if growth stopped today

A discount this large is often a warning rather than a bargain — the market may expect earnings to keep falling. See the revenue trend above.

How to read this

What today’s price assumes: owner earnings shrinking ~2%/yr over 5 years. The estimate assumes owner earnings stay flat (0% growth).

We solve for the constant annual change in owner earnings that would make the five-year zero-growth estimate equal today’s price. This keeps the existing model inputs and calculation unchanged; it is an expectations lens, not a forecast.

This zero-growth estimate assumes trailing owner earnings persist — unreliable for declining businesses. ACCO revenue fell in each of the three most recent year-over-year FY comparisons, so this estimate is flagged as unreliable for this company.

Among the current top-score group, the median current price is 255% above the zero-growth estimate across 49 of the current top 50 companies by Moat Score with both values.

Score records captured Oct 16, 2026.

Exactly which 50 companies?

FTNT, IBEX, META, MEDP, MSFT, GOOG, LULU, ANF, IDXX, TXRH, FHI, QLYS, FFIV, ADBE, LLY, MANH, CPRT, VEEV, RMD, GRMN, PCTY, EAT, UI, SSD, MNST, DOCS, LRCX, MCO, NTAP, NVDA, CORT, SFM, MPTI, ULTA, SN, ROL, CTAS, PAYC, IRMD, DECK, MORN, INTU, JKHY, TPR, LGCY, DAL, GWW, ISRG, MPWR, LOPE

Missing a usable price or zero-growth estimate: ANF.

Model details under moat-index@3.0.0: zero-growth multiple 11.1×, capped-growth comparison at no more than 18×; 9% discount rate; high-end growth 0% (capped at 4%) using min(5y revenue CAGR, 5y diluted-EPS CAGR), clamped to 0%–4%; maintenance capex uses min(capex, D&A); abstain when D&A is unavailable. This is a disclosed model range, not intrinsic value as fact.

18 years of fundamentals

The business, in plain English

ACCO Brands Corporation booked $1.5B of revenue in FY2025 in the Materials sector and kept 32.8% of it as gross profit — a moderate-margin business by that measure. After every other cost, 2.7% of each revenue dollar reached the bottom line.

Across the filed record, revenue grew from $1.2B (FY2009) to $1.5B (FY2025) — about 1.3% a year compounded over 16 years.

It earned 5.4% on invested capital in the latest filed year, FY2025. Across the full 15-year measurable filed record, median ROIC was 7.8%. Over the v3 recent window (10 measurable filed years), median ROIC was 6.5%. The Returns on Capital filter above scores it 6/100.

The balance sheet carried $841M of total debt in FY2025 against $41.3M of owner earnings — roughly 20.4 years of owner earnings to retire it all. Balance-Sheet Safety scores it 0/100.

Put together: Pricing Power is the strongest of the five filters (54/100) and Balance-Sheet Safety the weakest (0/100), which is how ACCO lands at 22/100 — a None moat.

This breakdown is generated from the filed numbers and sub-scores above — no outside narrative, no estimates. Where a filing doesn’t disclose an input, the sentence that would need it is omitted instead of guessed.

FY2008–FY2025 · 18 fiscal years, normalized from ACCO’s SEC filings

Sales, as filed$1.5B FY2025
$0$1B$2B2008201420202025
Revenue kept after cost of goods32.8% FY2025
0%20%2008201420202025
Standard ROIC or separately labeled Operating ROICStandard ROIC 5.5% FY2025

Exact FY and FY-1 financing invested-capital inputs are required.

0%5%10%2008201420202025
Cash an owner could take out$41.3M FY2025
$02008201420202025

The explained ROIC gaps have filed inputs but no meaningful positive invested-capital denominator. Other gaps mean the item is not in the filings for that year. The series is never interpolated or estimated. The Table view lists every filed value, including operating and net margins, total debt, and share count.

Flagship explainer

How ACCO Brands Corporation makes its money

Start with a dollar of revenue and follow what the filing says remains.

revenueBranching filed flows with values and percentages directly labeled. Missing filing concepts are omitted rather than estimated.Revenue$1.5B · 100%Cost of revenue$1.0B · 67%Gross profit$500M · 33%Operating income$92.3M · 6%Income before tax$49.1M · 3%Income tax$7.8M · 1%Net income$41.3M · 3%As of 2025-12-31 · 2 SEC filing sourcesBuy Like Buffett · buylikebuffett.com

Honest partial: the filing did not provide a normalized tag for Research and development, Selling, general and administrative; those components are omitted, not plugged.

Table alternative
Filed lineValue% of revenueSource
$1.5B100%
Cost of revenue$1.0B67%
$500M33%
$92.3M6%
Income before tax$49.1M3%
Income tax$7.8M1%
$41.3M3%
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Oct 16, 2026 · annual-row source set
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Flagship explainer

What ACCO Brands Corporation owns — and owes

ACCO Brands Corporation's filing tags don't support a full breakdown — here's what is filed:

Table alternative
Filed lineValue% of assetsSource
Total assets$2.3B100%
Cash and equivalents$64.4M3%
$841M37%
Stockholders’ equity$665M29%
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Oct 16, 2026 · annual-row source set

Flagship explainer

What drives ACCO Brands Corporation’s return on equity?

ROE is five filed business factors multiplied together.

DuPont return on equity factor treeReturn on equity branches into tax burden, interest burden, operating margin, asset turnover, and the equity multiplier.Return on equity7%Tax burden84%net income ÷ pretax incomeInterest burden53%pretax ÷ operating incomeOperating margin6%operating income ÷ revenueAsset turnover0.68×revenue ÷ average assetsEquity multiplier3.53×average assets ÷ average equityAs of 2025-12-31 · 2 SEC filing sourcesBuy Like Buffett · buylikebuffett.com
DuPont source inputs
InputValueFiscal yearSource
$41.3MFY2025
Income before tax$49.1MFY2025
Operating income$92.3MFY2025
$1.5BFY2025
Ending assets$2.3BFY2025
Beginning assets$2.2BFY2024
$665MFY2025
$606MFY2024
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Oct 16, 2026 · annual-row source set
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Flagship explainer

Where ACCO Brands Corporation's cash went

ACCO Brands Corporation’s filing does not supply enough provenance-matched cash-flow lines for a truthful flow chart — here’s what is filed:

Table alternative
Filed lineValue% of cash from operationsSource
Cash from operations$68.7M100%
Depreciation and amortization$72.8M106%
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Oct 16, 2026 · annual-row source set

Curated 19-manager tier

Who reported holding ACCO Brands Corporation

Delayed public 13F reports for 2026-Q2—not live positions, trades, or recommendations.

0 holding1 exited17 not holding18/19 resolved1 not retrieved

Named manager positions and quarter-over-quarter changes
ManagerReported positionQuarter-over-quarterFiling accession
First EagleExited · no position reportedPrior: 831,369 sharesExited · -831,369 shares (−100%)
Abrams CapitalNo position reportedNo position reported
Akre CapitalNo position reportedNo position reported
Baupost GroupNo position reportedNo position reported
Berkshire HathawayNo position reportedNo position reported
Brave Warrior AdvisorsNo position reportedNo position reported
Dodge & CoxNo position reportedNo position reported
FundsmithNo position reportedNo position reported
Gardner Russo & QuinnNo position reportedNo position reported
Gates Foundation TrustNo position reportedNo position reported
Mairs & PowerNo position reportedNo position reported
Markel / Markel-GaynerNo position reportedNo position reported
Oakmark / Harris AssociatesNo position reportedNo position reported
Polen CapitalNo position reportedNo position reported
Sequoia / Ruane CunniffNo position reportedNo position reported
Southeastern Asset ManagementNo position reportedNo position reported
Tweedy, BrowneNo position reportedNo position reported
Yacktman Asset ManagementNo position reportedNo position reported
Pershing SquareNot retrievedComparison not retrievedFiling not retrieved

Position size uses shares and filed value from each manager’s 13F. Portfolio weight uses the eligible long-share filing denominator. Changes compare only with the immediately preceding calendar quarter.

Source:
37 SEC filings
  1. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000813917-26-000038 · filed May 15, 2026
  2. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000813917-26-000042 · filed Aug 14, 2026
  3. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000860643-26-000003 · filed May 13, 2026
  4. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000860643-26-000005 · filed Aug 13, 2026
  5. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000905567-26-000002 · filed May 1, 2026
  6. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000905567-26-000003 · filed Aug 11, 2026
  7. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000919574-26-003132 · filed May 15, 2026
  8. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000919574-26-005176 · filed Aug 14, 2026
  9. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001061768-26-000007 · filed May 14, 2026
  10. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001061768-26-000010 · filed Aug 13, 2026
  11. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001096343-26-000044 · filed May 1, 2026
  12. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001096343-26-000065 · filed Jul 31, 2026
  13. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001104659-26-062592 · filed May 15, 2026
  14. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001104659-26-097175 · filed Aug 14, 2026
  15. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001112520-26-000009 · filed May 14, 2026
  16. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001112520-26-000014 · filed Aug 14, 2026
  17. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-001819 · filed May 14, 2026
  18. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-001911 · filed May 14, 2026
  19. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-001966 · filed May 14, 2026
  20. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-002294 · filed May 15, 2026
  21. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-003035 · filed Aug 4, 2026
  22. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-003402 · filed Aug 13, 2026
  23. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-003496 · filed Aug 14, 2026
  24. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-003728 · filed Aug 14, 2026
  25. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-208439 · filed May 6, 2026
  26. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-223352 · filed May 14, 2026
  27. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-226661 · filed May 15, 2026
  28. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-340443 · filed Aug 7, 2026
  29. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-349535 · filed Aug 13, 2026
  30. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-352200 · filed Aug 14, 2026
  31. 13F-HR/A · Q1 2026 · Amendment RESTATEMENTFiling detailsAccession 0001325447-26-000018 · filed May 14, 2026
  32. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001325447-26-000020 · filed Aug 5, 2026
  33. 13F-HR/A · Q2 2026 · Amendment NEW HOLDINGSFiling detailsAccession 0001325447-26-000033 · filed Aug 24, 2026
  34. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001398344-26-009296 · filed May 15, 2026
  35. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001398344-26-014641 · filed Aug 14, 2026
  36. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001569205-26-000005 · filed May 15, 2026
  37. 13F-HR · Q2 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001569205-26-000012 · filed Aug 14, 2026
· event Jun 30, 2026 · retrieved Oct 16, 2026

Flagship explainer

What ACCO Brands Corporation insiders reported

Records still being gathered — partial as of retrieval Oct 16, 2026.

Partial coverage: the incomplete Form 4 walk cannot establish no activity, an activity date, or zero counts.

Moat Score history

28 logged readings since Jul 17, 2026 · append-only, never rewritten

Moat Score over timeLast scored reading of each day, on the 0–100 scale22.2 / 100
0406080100WideNarrowShallowNo moatJul 17, 2026Oct 16, 2026

Breaks in the line mark methodology or normalizer upgrades — readings across versions aren’t compared, so a level shift there isn’t a change in the business.

Tier changesSame-methodology and same-normalizer crossings of the Wide / Narrow / Shallow bars

  1. Normalizer upgraded unstamped (version unknown)tomoat-xbrl-normalizer@1.1.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 26, 2026
  2. Methodology upgraded moat-index@2.0.0tomoat-index@3.0.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 23, 2026
  3. Methodology upgraded moat-index@1.2.0tomoat-index@2.0.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 20, 2026

Scores are logged append-only and never overwritten — this record cannot be reconstructed retroactively, which is exactly why it’s worth keeping.

Insider activity

Form 4 reports mix P/S market or private transactions with compensation-plan mechanics. Activity casually described as “insider selling” can include compensation mechanics; awards, tax withholding, and option exercises are shown by their exact filed class here, never collapsed into “Bought” or “Sold.”

These are disclosed filing facts and arithmetic aggregates, not a signal or verdict.

This machine-readable surface covers SEC ownership filings from 2003; it does not represent earlier paper-era records.

Records still being gathered — partial as of retrieval Oct 16, 2026.

33 filings were skipped because the SEC primary document returned 404; the omission is disclosed and aggregates are withheld.

Among the rows shown, A/F/M acquisition, payment or withholding, and exercise or conversion rows outnumber S sale rows (11 versus 0). The filing codes alone do not establish that every such row arose from a compensation plan.

Trailing-12-month totals and the 90-day cluster result are withheld because this issuer walk is incomplete.

InsiderShares owned afterDateFiling detail
Tedford Thomas WDirector, President & CEOExercise or conversion of derivative security (M)Table I · Acquired · Common Stock · 1 paired event60,944—Exercise or conversion of derivative security (M)—777,384Oct 2, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table I · Common Stock: 60,944 shares at — (Exercise or conversion of derivative security (M)) · code M · owned after 777,384 · Paired event: 60,944 Restricted Stock Units → 60,944 Common Stock ·
Tedford Thomas WDirector, President & CEOPayment of exercise price or tax liability (F)Table I · Disposed · Common Stock26,999$4.33$116,906750,385Oct 2, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table I · Common Stock: 26,999 shares at $4.33 · code F · owned after 750,385 ·
Tedford Thomas WDirector, President & CEOExercise or conversion of derivative security (M)Table II · Disposed · Restricted Stock Units · 1 paired event60,944—Exercise or conversion of derivative security (M)—0Oct 2, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table II · Restricted Stock Units: 60,944 shares at — (Exercise or conversion of derivative security (M)) · code M · owned after 0 · Paired event: 60,944 Restricted Stock Units → 60,944 Common Stock ·
Keller Robert JDirectorGrant, award, or other acquisition (A)Table II · Acquired · Restricted Stock Units4,514.3—Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)—264,536.67Sep 9, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table II · Restricted Stock Units: 4,514.3 shares at — (Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)) · code A · owned after 264,536.67 ·
Jotwani PradeepDirectorGrant, award, or other acquisition (A)Table II · Acquired · Restricted Stock Units4,961.4—Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)—290,736.47Sep 9, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table II · Restricted Stock Units: 4,961.4 shares at — (Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)) · code A · owned after 290,736.47 ·
DVORAK KATHLEEN SDirectorGrant, award, or other acquisition (A)Table II · Acquired · Restricted Stock Units5,464—Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)—320,187.23Sep 9, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table II · Restricted Stock Units: 5,464 shares at — (Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)) · code A · owned after 320,187.23 ·
BURTON JOSEPH BDirectorGrant, award, or other acquisition (A)Table II · Acquired · Restricted Stock Units2,538.9—Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)—148,780.09Sep 9, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table II · Restricted Stock Units: 2,538.9 shares at — (Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)) · code A · owned after 148,780.09 ·
Simermeyer Elizabeth ADirectorGrant, award, or other acquisition (A)Table II · Acquired · Restricted Stock Units1,940.2—Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)—113,693.7Sep 9, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table II · Restricted Stock Units: 1,940.2 shares at — (Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)) · code A · owned after 113,693.7 ·
RAJKOWSKI E MARKDirectorGrant, award, or other acquisition (A)Table II · Acquired · Restricted Stock Units5,127.2—Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)—300,451Sep 9, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table II · Restricted Stock Units: 5,127.2 shares at — (Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)) · code A · owned after 300,451 ·
Monteagudo GracielaDirectorGrant, award, or other acquisition (A)Table II · Acquired · Restricted Stock Units4,149.8—Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)—243,174.95Sep 9, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table II · Restricted Stock Units: 4,149.8 shares at — (Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)) · code A · owned after 243,174.95 ·
Lombardi Ronald M.DirectorGrant, award, or other acquisition (A)Table II · Acquired · Restricted Stock Units3,292—Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)—192,913.03Sep 9, 2026
1 filed lot
  • Table II · Restricted Stock Units: 3,292 shares at — (Grant, award, or other acquisition (A)) · code A · owned after 192,913.03 ·

Source-event as of . Retrieved .

Track record

How ACCO Brands Corporation’s moat rated in each of the years we can reconstruct from its filings — scored only on what was knowable at the time — and what its price and returns did afterward. The score never saw a price; the two are joined only in hindsight, for education, not as a signal.

Point-in-time scores 2011–2025, one methodology version · reconstructed from filings on file each Dec 31 — never with hindsight

Point-in-time Moat Score (dot colored by tier)Indexed price (total-return (dividends reinvested))Rated Wide-moat that year

How to read this: each dot is what the engine would have scored ACCO on that December 31; the line below is its total-return price path (dividends reinvested) in the years since.

0406080100WideNarrowShallowNo moatPoint-in-time Moat Score51143Indexed price · log scale (2012 = 100)201120142017202020232026

Two tracks, one timeline: the score has its own 0–100 scale (top), the price its own 100-based scale (bottom) — never a shared axis. The price path is a total-return (dividends reinvested) index built from the same data the forward returns use; gaps in the score line are years with no reconstructed rating (see the table for why). The Table view carries every value.

What followed, in the years it rated Wide

In the reconstructed history shown, ACCO did not rate Wide-moat in any year, so there is no wide-moat track record to report. That absence is itself the honest answer — we don’t manufacture a comparison where the rating never earned one.

Materials context

#286 of 310 scored Materials companies, ranked by Moat Score.

Nearest peers by Moat Score

  1. #284EU ENCORE ENERGY CORP.22.3 out of 100, No moatNo moat
  2. #285KLXE KLX Energy Services Holdings, Inc.22.3 out of 100, No moatNo moat
  3. #287KARX Karbon-X Corp.21.7 out of 100, No moatNo moat
  4. #288IFF INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC21.4 out of 100, No moatNo moat

Compare ACCO with its nearest peers →All Materials companies on the Index →

Common questions about ACCO

Does ACCO Brands Corporation have an economic moat?
Based on its FY2025 SEC filings, the Moat Index scores ACCO Brands Corporation (ACCO) 22.2 out of 100 — below the Shallow-moat bar, so no moat. The five questions behind that score begin at 20% each; if exactly one genuinely lacks data, the other four weights are renormalized and disclosed. revenue and EPS trend 10, pricing power 54, returns on capital 6, balance-sheet safety 0, capital allocation 40.
Is ACCO trading below the conservative owner-earnings estimate?
The value if growth stopped today — a zero-growth baseline — is $5.09 per share. It capitalizes normalized owner earnings at a 9% rate and assumes 0% growth. Versus a recent price of $4.58, that is 10% below value if growth stopped today. The model also publishes a capped-growth comparison, but the zero-growth estimate is the cautious baseline. It assumes trailing owner earnings persist and is unreliable for declining businesses. This is an educational estimate from primary SEC filings, not intrinsic value as a fact or investment advice.
How has ACCO's Moat Score changed over time?
The record logs 28 readings since Jul 17, 2026; the latest reads 22.2 out of 100 (no moat). No tier changes on record yet. (Methodology or normalizer upgrades on Jul 20, 2026, Jul 23, 2026, Jul 26, 2026 re-based the score; readings across versions aren't compared.) The history is append-only — readings are only ever added, never rewritten.