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Ascent Industries
(NASDAQ:ACNT)
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Rating:54Neutral
Price Target:
$15.50
▲(2.51% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:08/05/26
Overall score reflects a company still in an unfinished turnaround: ongoing losses and renewed cash burn are the biggest constraints despite a healthier balance sheet. Technicals are supportive with price above key moving averages and positive MACD, but the valuation (very high P/E and no dividend yield provided) limits upside unless margin and cash-flow improvement materializes. The latest earnings call showed strong revenue momentum and improving EBITDA, but margin/working-capital pressure keeps the risk profile elevated.
Positive Factors
Commercial growth and pipeline
Strong sales growth, a record pipeline and above-benchmark opportunity conversion indicate improving customer demand. Existing-customer expansion and increased share of wallet could support more durable revenue growth if execution and production capacity keep pace.
Negative Factors
Persistent unprofitability
Despite a revenue rebound and improvement from 2023, Ascent has not restored consistent profitability, with losses continuing through 2024, 2025 and the latest TTM period. Sustained losses can erode equity and limit internally funded investment.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Commercial growth and pipeline
Strong sales growth, a record pipeline and above-benchmark opportunity conversion indicate improving customer demand. Existing-customer expansion and increased share of wallet could support more durable revenue growth if execution and production capacity keep pace.
Read all positive factors
Ascent Industries (ACNT) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$136.31M
Dividend YieldN/A
Average Volume (3M)83.67K
Price to Earnings (P/E)―
Beta (1Y)0.16
Revenue Growth-34.20%
EPS Growth-59.08%
CountryUS
Employees198
SectorBasic Materials
Sector Strength58
IndustryChemicals
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)-0.47
Shares Outstanding9,009,453
10 Day Avg. Volume78,101
30 Day Avg. Volume83,666
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio0.49
Price to Book (P/B)1.79
Price to Sales (P/S)2.08
P/FCF Ratio-75.68
Enterprise Value/Market Cap<0.01
Enterprise Value/Revenue<0.01
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit<0.01
Enterprise Value/Ebitda<0.01
Forecast
1Y Price TargetN/A
Price Target UpsideN/A
Rating ConsensusN/A
Number of Analyst Covering0
EPS Forecast (FY)N/A
Revenue Forecast (FY)N/A
Ascent Industries Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
Ascent Industries Co. engages in the development, production, and distribution of specialty chemical solutions. It offers surfactants, defoamers, lubricating agents, flame retardants, and specialty intermediates in petroleum-based and bio-based fo...
How the Company Makes Money
Ascent Industries makes money primarily by selling manufactured stainless-steel tubular products (e.g., pipe and tube) and related services to customers across various end markets. Revenue is generally generated through (1) product sales based on ...
Ascent Industries Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:Aug 04, 2026
(Q2-2026)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Nov 10, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The call presented a clear mix of strong commercial momentum and meaningful operational progress—robust revenue growth (+37.6% YoY), a record $140M active pipeline, positive adjusted EBITDA and an accretive acquisition—alongside material margin compression, elevated working capital needs and near-term cash consumption. Management emphasized initiatives (pricing, sourcing, platform optimizations, inventory/collection targets) already underway to convert revenue into consistent gross margin and cash flow, and expects those actions to reduce inefficiencies over time. Highlights demonstrate that the company is growing and improving quality, but the margin and working-capital challenges are material and require execution to realize the promised benefits.Positive Updates
Strong Top-Line Growth
Net sales of $25.7M in Q2, up $7.0M or 37.6% year-over-year; pounds shipped increased 15.2% and average selling price rose ~23%.
Negative Updates
Gross Margin Compression
Q2 gross margin was ~21.6% versus 26.1% in the prior-year quarter (a decline of ~450 basis points); year-to-date gross margin declined ~320 basis points to 18.5% from 21.7%.
Read all updates
Q2-2026 Updates
Positive
Negative
Strong Top-Line Growth
Net sales of $25.7M in Q2, up $7.0M or 37.6% year-over-year; pounds shipped increased 15.2% and average selling price rose ~23%.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management provided forward-looking targets focused on margin recovery, cash generation and disciplined capital allocation: a platform-wide optimization is expected to deliver roughly $3–$5 million of annualized gross profit at run‑rate and be fully institutionalized by the end of 2026, with a moderate Q4 gross‑margin contraction expected seasonally; SG&A is targeted toward ~15% of revenue (Q2 was 21.5%), adjusted EBITDA improved to $1.5M (5.7% of sales) in Q2, and the near‑term priority is converting revenue into higher gross margin and cash. Liquidity guidance: June cash was $28.1M with $17.9M revolver availability (~$46M total), cash is expected to recover to the mid‑$30M range and total liquidity to the low‑to‑mid $50M range after escrow receipts, with borrowing capacity expected to remain in the high‑teens. Working‑capital/Cash‑conversion targets: current C3 is 75 days (DSO 66, DIO 47, DPO 37), an initial 5‑day improvement is targeted (each 5 days could free ~$1–1.5M) and the company aims toward ~70 days. Commercial and M&A guidance: active selling pipeline is a record $140M (up ~33% sequentially), the company converted 17 opportunities into ~$5.8M of annualized revenue (26% conversion rate vs. 10–15% industry benchmark), Q2 net sales were $25.7M (+37.6% YoY) with pounds shipped +15.2% and ASP +~23% (legacy ex‑Midwest +~28% YoY), Midwest contributed $1.9M of sales with ~26% gross margin and was immediately accretive, and the OE debottlenecking added >500,000 lbs of incremental annual capacity. Capital allocation will follow the stated priority order—liquidity, working capital, internal investment, strategic M&A, then opportunistic share repurchases (H1 repurchases ~506k shares for $6.9M; Q2 ~210k for $2.9M at $13.80 avg; ~1.5M shares remain authorized).Ascent Industries Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
34
Negative
Balance Sheet
67
Positive
Cash Flow
28
Negative
| Breakdown | TTM | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Mar 2023 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 83.54M | 74.94M | 177.87M | 193.18M | 261.99M | 334.71M |
| Gross Profit | 17.40M | 16.95M | 22.11M | 1.53M | 43.29M | 60.77M |
| EBITDA | 716.00K | -1.38M | 2.78M | -29.17M | 23.03M | 37.33M |
| Net Income | -4.40M | -5.58M | -13.60M | -26.63M | 22.07M | 20.25M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 106.32M | 111.94M | 147.25M | 163.29M | 269.04M | 266.00M |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 28.07M | 57.61M | 16.11M | 1.85M | 1.44M | 2.02M |
| Total Debt | 13.83M | 13.78M | 33.27M | 32.83M | 102.88M | 102.74M |
| Total Liabilities | 26.72M | 24.95M | 53.70M | 55.88M | 134.78M | 154.41M |
| Stockholders Equity | 79.60M | 86.99M | 93.55M | 107.41M | 134.26M | 111.59M |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | -8.40M | -2.06M | 12.79M | 20.19M | 2.18M | 17.56M |
| Operating Cash Flow | -6.15M | -519.00K | 14.68M | 23.08M | 5.58M | 19.05M |
| Investing Cash Flow | -17.69M | 50.98M | 905.00K | 50.50M | -4.97M | -32.66M |
| Financing Cash Flow | -7.52M | -8.96M | -1.33M | -73.17M | -1.18M | 15.39M |
Ascent Industries Technical Analysis
Positive
15.12
Price Trends
14.85
Positive
14.36
Positive
14.77
Positive
Market Momentum
0.03
Positive
49.47
Neutral
33.54
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ACNT, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 15.12 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 15.29, above the 50-day MA of 14.85, and above the 200-day MA of 14.77, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of 0.03 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 49.47 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 33.54 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for ACNT.
Ascent Industries Risk Analysis
Ascent Industries disclosed 26 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Ascent Industries reported the most risks in the "Production" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
Ascent Industries Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
72 Outperform | $346.79M | 12.52 | 18.26% | 0.45% | 61.80% | 214.07% | |
61 Neutral | $10.43B | 7.12 | -0.05% | 2.87% | 2.86% | -36.73% | |
58 Neutral | $303.47M | 26.80 | 54.83% | 19.32% | -84.51% | -87.88% | |
54 Neutral | $136.31M | -32.13 | -5.25% | ― | -34.20% | -59.08% | |
54 Neutral | $91.18M | 46.04 | 3.43% | ― | 38.96% | ― | |
36 Underperform | $13.58M | -5.08 | -3.47% | ― | -12.79% | -406.58% |
* Basic Materials Sector Average
ACNT
Ascent Industries
15.35
3.51
29.65%
FRD
Friedman Industries
44.53
27.73
165.08%
MSB
Mesabi Shs
23.93
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-23.78%
HUDI
Huadi International Group
0.93
-0.20
-17.52%
HLP
Hongli Group, Inc.
1.22
0.56
85.69%
Ascent Industries Corporate Events
Business Operations and StrategyM&A TransactionsPrivate Placements and Financing
Ascent Industries Amends Credit Facility for Midwest Acquisition
Positive
Jul 21, 2026
Ascent Industries Co. entered into an Omnibus Joinder to Loan Documents on July 17, 2026, amending its credit facility with BMO Bank N.A. and other lenders in connection with its acquisition of Midwest Graphic Sales, Inc. and Sigma Coatings, Inc. ...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Ascent Industries Adopts Rule 10b5-1 Share Repurchase Plan
Positive
Jun 29, 2026
On June 29, 2026, Ascent Industries Co. adopted a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to facilitate repurchases of up to 1,750,000 shares of its common stock based on preset daily price targets. The plan, which runs ...
Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Ascent Industries Shareholders Back Board, Pay and Auditor
Positive
Jun 10, 2026
Ascent Industries Co. held its Annual Meeting of Shareholders as a virtual event on June 10, 2026, where shareholders voted on director elections, executive compensation, and auditor ratification. All seven nominated directors, including Carmen J....
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.