ACM Research, Inc.

ACMR · Industrials · FY2025 filings · Narrow moat ·

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Narrow moat
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The five investor questions

95

2021–2025 (latest 5 aligned FYs; v3 window cap 5): revenue $260M to $901M, increasing; diluted EPS 0.58 to 1.37, increasing. 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%.

78

Median gross margin 47.1% over 10y, very stable.

70

Median ROIC 16.6%, above the 12% hurdle in 56% of years.

89

Net cash position — no leverage risk.

62

Owner earnings changed +65.1%/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
No price data
$77.3M
Unavailable — insufficient owner-earnings data
Unavailable — insufficient growth-model data
$84.32
No price data

This zero-growth estimate assumes trailing owner earnings persist — unreliable for declining businesses. The recent FY revenue series does not trigger the three-consecutive-declines flag.

Among the current top-score group, the median current price is 239% above the zero-growth estimate across 48 of the current top 50 companies by Moat Score with both values.

Score records captured Jul 26, 2026.

Exactly which 50 companies?

FTNT, META, MEDP, IBEX, MSFT, GOOGL, LULU, ANF, IDXX, TXRH, FHI, QLYS, FFIV, ADBE, LLY, MANH, VEEV, GRMN, SSD, MNST, DOCS, MCO, CPRT, NTAP, LRCX, NVDA, CORT, SFM, MPTI, ULTA, SN, RMD, ROL, PAYC, IRMD, INTU, DECK, MORN, LGCY, DAL, GWW, ISRG, MPWR, CTAS, LOPE, MRK, CMG, FAST, BKNG, ORLY

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

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.

11 years of fundamentals

The business, in plain English

ACM Research, Inc. booked $901M of revenue in FY2025 in the Industrials sector and kept 44.4% of it as gross profit — a solid-margin business by that measure. After every other cost, 10.4% of each revenue dollar reached the bottom line.

Across the filed record, revenue grew from $27.4M (FY2016) to $901M (FY2025) — about 47.4% a year compounded over 9 years.

It earned 9.9% on invested capital in the latest filed year, FY2025. Across the full 9-year measurable filed record, median ROIC was 16.6%. Over the v3 recent window (9 measurable filed years), median ROIC was 16.6%. The Returns on Capital filter above scores it 70/100.

The balance sheet carried $288M of total debt in FY2025 against $94.1M of owner earnings — roughly 3.1 years of owner earnings to retire it all. Balance-Sheet Safety scores it 89/100.

Put together: Business Trend is the strongest of the five filters (95/100) and Capital Allocation the weakest (62/100), which is how ACMR lands at 79/100 — a Narrow 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.

FY2015–FY2025 · 11 fiscal years, normalized from ACMR’s SEC filings

Sales, as filed$901M FY2025
$0$500M2015201920232025
Revenue kept after cost of goods44.4% FY2025
0%20%40%2015201920232025
Standard ROIC or separately labeled Operating ROICROIC 9.9% FY2025

Not meaningful FY2016: invested capital is negative (cash exceeds debt + equity)

0%20%2015201920232025
Cash an owner could take out$94.1M FY2025
$0$50M$100M2015201920232025

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 ACM Research, Inc. 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$901M · 100%Cost of revenue$501M · 56%Gross profit$400M · 44%Operating income$109M · 12%Income before tax$135M · 15%Income tax$13.3M · 1%Net income$94.1M · 10%As of 2025-12-31 · 1 SEC filing sourceBuy 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
$901M100%
Cost of revenue$501M56%
$400M44%
$109M12%
Income before tax$135M15%
Income tax$13.3M1%
$94.1M10%
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026 · annual-row source set
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Flagship explainer

What ACM Research, Inc. owns — and owes

ACM Research, Inc.'s filing tags don't support a full breakdown — here's what is filed:

Table alternative
Filed lineValue% of assetsSource
Total assets$2.9B100%
Cash and equivalents$757M26%
$288M10%
Stockholders’ equity$1.5B51%
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026 · annual-row source set

Flagship explainer

What drives ACM Research, Inc.’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 equity8%Tax burden70%net income ÷ pretax incomeInterest burden124%pretax ÷ operating incomeOperating margin12%operating income ÷ revenueAsset turnover0.38×revenue ÷ average assetsEquity multiplier2.00×average assets ÷ average equityAs of 2025-12-31 · 1 SEC filing sourceBuy Like Buffett · buylikebuffett.com
DuPont source inputs
InputValueFiscal yearSource
$94.1MFY2025
Income before tax$135MFY2025
Operating income$109MFY2025
$901MFY2025
Ending assets$2.9BFY2025
Beginning assets$1.9BFY2024
$1.5BFY2025
$905MFY2024
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026 · annual-row source set
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Flagship explainer

Where ACM Research, Inc.'s cash went

ACM Research, Inc.’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−$10.3M−100%
Depreciation and amortization$14.4M140%
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026 · annual-row source set

Curated 19-manager tier

Who reported holding ACM Research, Inc.

Delayed public 13F reports for 2026-Q1—not live positions, trades, or recommendations.

2 holding0 exited17 not holding19/19 resolved

Named manager positions and quarter-over-quarter changes
ManagerReported positionQuarter-over-quarterFiling accession
Dodge & Cox119,892 shares$4.7M · 0% of eligible reported 13FAdded to position · +7,500 shares (7%)
Southeastern Asset Management782,900 shares$30.8M · 2% of eligible reported 13FTrimmed · -897,281 shares (−53%)
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
First EagleNo 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
Pershing SquareNo position reportedNo position reported
Polen CapitalNo position reportedNo position reported
Sequoia / Ruane CunniffNo position reportedNo position reported
Tweedy, BrowneNo position reportedNo position reported
Yacktman Asset ManagementNo position reportedNo position reported

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:
38 SEC filings
  1. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0000813917-26-000022 · filed Feb 17, 2026
  2. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000813917-26-000038 · filed May 15, 2026
  3. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0000860643-26-000001 · filed Feb 12, 2026
  4. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000860643-26-000003 · filed May 13, 2026
  5. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0000905567-26-000001 · filed Feb 3, 2026
  6. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000905567-26-000002 · filed May 1, 2026
  7. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0000919574-26-000775 · filed Feb 13, 2026
  8. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0000919574-26-003132 · filed May 15, 2026
  9. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001061768-26-000005 · filed Feb 13, 2026
  10. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001061768-26-000007 · filed May 14, 2026
  11. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001096343-26-000011 · filed Feb 6, 2026
  12. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001096343-26-000044 · filed May 1, 2026
  13. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001104659-26-016458 · filed Feb 17, 2026
  14. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001104659-26-062592 · filed May 15, 2026
  15. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001112520-26-000008 · filed Feb 13, 2026
  16. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001112520-26-000009 · filed May 14, 2026
  17. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-000654 · filed Feb 12, 2026
  18. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-000791 · filed Feb 13, 2026
  19. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-001057 · filed Feb 17, 2026
  20. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-001068 · filed Feb 17, 2026
  21. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-001091 · filed Feb 17, 2026
  22. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-001819 · filed May 14, 2026
  23. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-001911 · filed May 14, 2026
  24. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-001966 · filed May 14, 2026
  25. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-002294 · filed May 15, 2026
  26. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001172661-26-002336 · filed May 15, 2026
  27. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-033986 · filed Feb 3, 2026
  28. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-050636 · filed Feb 13, 2026
  29. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-054580 · filed Feb 17, 2026
  30. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-208439 · filed May 6, 2026
  31. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-223352 · filed May 14, 2026
  32. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001193125-26-226661 · filed May 15, 2026
  33. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001325447-26-000004 · filed Feb 4, 2026
  34. 13F-HR/A · Q1 2026 · Amendment RESTATEMENTFiling detailsAccession 0001325447-26-000018 · filed May 14, 2026
  35. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001398344-26-003084 · filed Feb 13, 2026
  36. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001398344-26-009296 · filed May 15, 2026
  37. 13F-HR · Q4 2025Filing detailsAccession 0001569205-26-000002 · filed Feb 17, 2026
  38. 13F-HR · Q1 2026Filing detailsAccession 0001569205-26-000005 · filed May 15, 2026
· event Mar 31, 2026 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026

Flagship explainer

What ACM Research, Inc. insiders reported

Records still being gathered — partial as of retrieval Aug 11, 2026.

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

Moat Score history

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

Moat Score over timeLast scored reading of each day, on the 0–100 scale78.9 / 100
0406080100WideNarrowShallowNo moatJul 17, 2026Jul 26, 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 Aug 11, 2026.

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

No reported Form 4 rows were captured for ACMR; the incomplete walk cannot establish zero activity, zero counts, or a negative cluster result.

A filing source-event date will appear when a Form 4 row is captured.

Retrieved .

Track record

How ACM Research, Inc.’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 20172025, 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 ACMR on that December 31; the line below is its total-return price path (dividends reinvested) in the years since.

0406080100WideNarrowShallowNo moatPoint-in-time Moat Score1002005001,0002,000Indexed price · log scale (2018 = 100)201720192021202320252026

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 5 years ACMR rated Wide-moat (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025), the median forward total return that followed — measured only after each year’s filings were public — was:

  • 1 year −8% vs the S&P 500’s 24% (price basis) · median over 4 years
  • 3 years −37% vs the S&P 500’s 28% (price basis) · median over 3 years
  • 5 years 50% vs the S&P 500’s 85% (price basis) · median over 1 year

These are medians computed from the data, not a claim about any one year. The company figures are total returns (dividends reinvested); the S&P 500 is the price-only ^GSPC index, which excludes dividends and so understates the index — the gap flatters the company. A quality rating is not a return forecast, and past returns don’t predict future ones. Educational only, not investment advice.

Industrials context

#23 of 428 scored Industrials companies, ranked by Moat Score.

Nearest peers by Moat Score

  1. #21FIX COMFORT SYSTEMS USA, INC.78.9 out of 100, Narrow moatNarrow moat
  2. #22IBP Installed Building Products, Inc.78.9 out of 100, Narrow moatNarrow moat
  3. #24EXPD EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL OF WASHINGTON, INC.78.4 out of 100, Narrow moatNarrow moat
  4. #25PLUS ePlus inc.77.9 out of 100, Narrow moatNarrow moat

Compare ACMR with its nearest peersAll Industrials companies on the Index →

Common questions about ACMR

Does ACM Research, Inc. have an economic moat?
Based on its FY2025 SEC filings, the Moat Index scores ACM Research, Inc. (ACMR) 78.9 out of 100 — a Narrow 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 95, pricing power 78, returns on capital 70, balance-sheet safety 89, capital allocation 62.
How has ACMR's Moat Score changed over time?
The record logs 16 readings since Jul 17, 2026; the latest reads 78.9 out of 100 (narrow 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.