Acco Brands's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Acco Brands (ACCO) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Acco Brands vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 1,568M vs 116,019M combined for its competitors (1.3% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-3.0% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+6.0%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Acco Brands generated -0.9% revenue growth year over year in Q3 2026, vs 8.5% for its competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 3.0% net margin compares with 10.5% for the peer group.
- Scale: Acco Brands ranks #10 of 15 companies by market capitalization in the Publishing & Information industry, holding 1.0% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Acco Brands accounted for 1.2% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 1.3% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.33M compares with $0.60M for the peer group (0.6x).
- Structure: Acco Brands operates in the following segments: ACCO Brands Americas, ACCO Brands International.
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
ACCO Sales vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Acco Brands reported revenue contraction of 0.89 % year on year in Q3 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 8.46 %.
With a net margin of 3.02 %, Acco Brands reported lower profitability than its competitors (10.48 %).
Acco Brands generated 1.22 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 1.34 % a year earlier.
API endpoints for this dataset
Acco Brands vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in Acco Brands reports; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Acco Brands and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (5) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (4) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Acco Brands's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Publishing & Information industry grew revenue 4.4% year over year, combined, vs -0.9% for Acco Brands. Acco Brands's share of combined industry revenue moved from 2.47% to 2.34%, a loss of 0.12 percentage points.
Acco Brands's Competitor Quality Breadth
Group definitions: see Methodology: Performance Group Definitions.
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (12) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (1) | - | - | ||
| Similar-Size Competitors (10) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 87.50 % (7 of 8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 62.50 % (5 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
ACCO Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
ACCO Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
ACCO Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
ACCO Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acme United Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Newell Brands Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Ecopetrol S a | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Materion Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Dow Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Acco Brands's best-performing competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Acco Brands's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Acco Brands Corporation
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
 Acco Brands Corporation |
485.76 | 1,567.90 |
 3m Company |
96,759.39 | 25,247.00 |
 Illinois Tool Works Inc |
80,155.04 | 16,646.00 |
 Ecopetrol S a |
31,970.80 | 30,513.17 |
 Dow Inc |
22,840.36 | 40,494.00 |
 Avery Dennison Corporation |
14,176.60 | 9,364.10 |
| SUBTOTAL | 277,161.19 | 150,407.79 |
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Sources: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Acco Brands Corporation versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Acco Brands's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from Acco Brands reports and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Legence Corp | Company report | 85% |
| Acme United Corp | Company report | 85% |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | Company report | 85% |
| Ennis Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Newell Brands Inc | Company report | 85% |
| 3m Company | Company report | 85% |
Company report basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Acco Brands's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Acco Brands's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation | ACCO Brands Americas 57.80 % |
| 3m Company | Safety and Industrial 48.33 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Test and Measurement and Electronics 19.33 % |
| Dow Inc | Operating Segment Total 98.39 % |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | Materials Group 70.53 % |
| The Clorox Company | Health and Wellness 48.19 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
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Acco Brands's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation | 486 | 333,596 | 14,106 |
| 3m Company | 96,759 | 417,306 | 58,579 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 80,155 | 387,116 | 75,070 |
| Ecopetrol S a | 31,971 | 1,271,382 | 153,423 |
| Dow Inc | 22,840 | 1,170,347 | -38,728 |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 14,177 | 267,546 | 20,237 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 276,675 | 598,893 | 44,544 |
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Acco Brands's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent report. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| 3m Company | United States 46.28 % |
| Dow Inc | U.S.& Canada 40.37 % |
| Newell Brands Inc | North America 66.36 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Acco Brands's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 15 companies in Acco Brands's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Acco Brands ranks #10 of 15 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 1.01 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 2,221, indicating a moderately concentrated market structure (see Methodology: Market Structure & Concentration).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | News Corporation | 14,733 | 30.79 % |
| 2 | Pearson Plc | 12,387 | 25.89 % |
| 3 | The New York Times Company | 11,146 | 23.29 % |
| 4 | John Wiley and Sons Inc | 2,549 | 5.33 % |
| 5 | Cimpress Plc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Usa Today Co Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Deluxe Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Scholastic Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Daily Journal Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Acco Brands Corporation | 484 | 1.01 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Acco Brands's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-11-06.
Acco Brands's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Cimpress Plc | 1,428 | -6.74 % |
| 6 | Usa Today Co Inc | 1,274 | 20.39 % |
| 7 | Deluxe Corporation | 1,232 | 45.12 % |
| 8 | Scholastic Corporation | 900 | 29.84 % |
| 9 | Daily Journal Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 10 | Acco Brands Corporation | 484 | 36.46 % |
| 11 | Quad | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 12 | Cpi Card Group Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 13 | Lee Enterprises Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 14 | Millennium Group International Holdings Limited | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 15 | Sobr Safe Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Acco Brands's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-11-06. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Acco Brands's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Publishing & Information industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (30 companies). See the full Publishing & Information industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 33.22 % | 25.66 % (avg) | +7.6 pp |
| Operating Margin | 5.75 % | industry median | +1.1 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 9.79 % | 4.14 % (avg) | +5.6 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 0.00 % | 3.11 % (avg) | -3.1 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Acco Brands's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Publishing & Information industry average (30 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns. See the full Publishing & Information industry valuation benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 6.0x | 15.9x | -9.9x |
| EV / EBITDA | 8.4x | 10.6x | -2.2x |
| P/B | 0.6x | 2.3x | -1.7x |
| Return on Equity | 9.73 % | industry aggregate | -12.08 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 3.50 % | 4.23 % (avg) | -0.73 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Acco Brands's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in company reports.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | -0.39 % | 0.75 % | -15.37 % | 22.36 % | -3.84 % | -5.89 % | -9.09 % | -8.49 % |
| Operating Margin | 9.63 % | 10.03 % | 6.79 % | 7.46 % | 1.79 % | 2.44 % | -2.22 % | 6.05 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 6.20 % | 6.34 % | 3.62 % | 4.50 % | 1.05 % | 1.44 % | -1.41 % | 3.62 % |
| P/E | 7.8x | 8.8x | 12.4x | 8.1x | - | - | - | 8.4x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Acco Brands's Strategic Group Map
Acco Brands is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC are labeled. See Methodology: Strategic Group Map for how this chart is built.
Acco Brands's trailing-12-month revenue growth of 1.6% and operating margin of 5.8% compares with an average of 2.5% growth and 3.3% margin across its 8 closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC -- Acco Brands sits below that peer average on growth and above it on margin.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Acco Brands's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
See Methodology: BCG Growth-Share Matrix for how relative share and growth are calculated and thresholded.
Acco Brands falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.03x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 0.4% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Acco Brands's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Moderate | Industry HHI of 2,221 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 0.00 % vs industry average 3.11 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
Note: see Methodology: Porter's Five Forces. Supplier power and buyer power are covered on Acco Brands's dedicated Suppliers and Customers pages, not here.
Acco Brands's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
See Methodology: GE/McKinsey Matrix for how the two axes are built.
Acco Brands falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Acco Brands's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 12.1 points below the industry aggregate.
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-3.0% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.03x).
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
No rule matched.
Methodology: see Methodology: SWOT Analysis.
Acco Brands's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation | - | 1.81 | 1.30 |
| 3m Company | - | 1.47 | 3.62 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 0.15 | 1.20 | 2.98 |
| Ecopetrol S a | 0.11 | 0.54 | 0.95 |
| Dow Inc | 0.40 | 1.87 | 1.01 |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 0.08 | 1.14 | 1.60 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Acco Brands's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation | Q3 2026 | -0.9 % | +187.5 % |
| 3m Company | Q3 2026 | +1.0 % | +63.3 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Q3 2026 | +4.4 % | +4.1 % |
| Ecopetrol S a | Q4 2025 | -7.1 % | -19.2 % |
| Dow Inc | Q3 2026 | +11.5 % | - |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | Q3 2026 | +5.2 % | +2.0 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +0.2 % | +11.2 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Acco Brands's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation | Q3 2026 | -4.9 % | - |
| 3m Company | Q3 2026 | +0.2 % | +17.4 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Q3 2026 | -12.8 % | -12.8 % |
| Ecopetrol S a | Q4 2025 | -3.3 % | +6.2 % |
| Dow Inc | Q3 2026 | +3.9 % | +98.0 % |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | Q3 2026 | +6.1 % | +32.6 % |
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Acco Brands's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation | 2.91% | 3.49% | 9.73% |
| 3m Company | 9.60% | 13.24% | 93.07% |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 19.74% | 22.80% | 103.35% |
| Ecopetrol S a | 5.12% | 7.30% | 13.53% |
| Dow Inc | - | - | - |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 7.83% | 12.11% | 30.62% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Acco Brands's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation | 7.22 | 0.31 |
| 3m Company | 27.59 | 3.83 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 36.49 | 4.82 |
| Ecopetrol S a | 119.09 | 1.05 |
| Dow Inc | - | 0.56 |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 20.26 | 1.51 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 24.89 | 1.84 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.