ACCO vs NWL: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
Last updated August 2026
Short answer
ACCO and NWL are similarly sized, but ACCO trades noticeably cheaper on forward earnings (4.41x vs 8.28x): the market is paying up for NWL's profile and pricing ACCO more conservatively, or for faster growth. Which you prefer comes down to the drivers you believe, and whether adding either over-concentrates what you already own.
ACCO vs NWL: the tie-breaker metrics
Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.
| Metric | ACCO | NWL | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward P/E | 4.41 | 8.28 | Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up. |
| Beta | 1.19 | 0.86 | Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through. |
| Price vs 52-week range | 89% of range | 62% of range | Where today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why. |
| Price / book | 0.57 | 0.97 | How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price. |
Reading it: ACCO is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.
Before you buy: how ACCO and NWL affect your concentration
The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. ACCO and NWL share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.
This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined ACCO and NWL exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
What does ACCO Brands Corporation (ACCO) do?
ACCO Brands Corporation is a global consumer, technology, and business branded-products company whose products are used in schools, homes, and workplaces in more than 100 countries. Its portfolio includes well-known names such as Five Star, Mead, At-A-Glance, Hilroy, and Tilibra in school and planning products; Swingline, Quartet, GBC, Leitz, Esselte, and Rapid in office and business products; Kensington in computer accessories and security; PowerA in gaming peripherals; and EPOS in enterprise and gaming audio. The company reports in two segments, Americas and International, and reaches customers through mass retailers, e-tailers, office and technology dealers, wholesalers, and its own e-commerce and direct-sales channels.
What does Newell Brands (NWL) do?
Newell Brands is a global consumer-goods company that designs, manufactures, and sells everyday household products across three segments: Home and Commercial Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. Its brands include Sharpie, Paper Mate, Expo, Elmer's, Rubbermaid, FoodSaver, Yankee Candle, Graco, NUK, Coleman, Oster, and Dymo, sold through mass retailers, e-commerce, and commercial channels worldwide. Full-year 2025 revenue was about $7.2 billion, down roughly 5 percent, continuing a multi-year decline as the company narrowed its brand portfolio and worked through soft discretionary demand.
ACCO vs NWL: how do they differ?
Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.
- ACCO drivers: Cost reduction and margin recovery; Pivot to technology peripherals and gaming.
- NWL drivers: Margin and operating recovery; Iconic, defensive brand portfolio.
Which fits which kind of investor
A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The dominant risk is secular decline: demand for traditional paper-based office and school products is falling as work and documents go digital, pressuring a large part of ACCO's revenue base. For NWL, the balance sheet is the central risk: net debt of about $4.8 billion and leverage near 5 times leave little room for error, with maturities in the 2027 to 2028 window that must be refinanced or repaid.
ACCO or NWL: which should you pick?
ACCO vs NWL: the full fundamentals
ACCO. Figures are approximate, tied to the asOf date, and drawn from company guidance and reported results; verify live numbers before acting. ACCO's low earnings multiple reflects real concerns about a shrinking core business and high leverage as much as any bargain, so a cheap-looking multiple should be weighed against the turnaround risk rather than taken at face value.
NWL. NWL trades at a low price-to-sales multiple (around 0.3x) that reflects deep skepticism about the debt load and multi-year revenue decline rather than the size of the underlying business. The valuation is best read as a leveraged turnaround: a small equity stub sitting on top of roughly $4.8 billion of net debt, where the stock is far more sensitive to deleveraging and margin news than to headline sales.
Headline figures (approximate, Jul 2026): ACCO shows revenue trend Roughly $1.5 to $1.6 billion of annual sales guided for 2026; recent years have seen low-single-digit to high-single-digit declines before recent acquisition-aided stabilization, q1 2026 results Revenue of about $343.7 million beat expectations; adjusted EPS was modestly positive at roughly $0.02, helped by the EPOS acquisition and currency, 2026 eps guidance Management guided full-year adjusted EPS in the mid-$0.80s (roughly $0.84 to $0.89), valuation Trades as a low-priced small-cap value stock on a low earnings multiple, reflecting the secular-decline concern and high leverage; NWL shows revenue (fy2025) ~$7.2B, revenue (q1 2026) ~$1.55B, down ~1%, gross margin (q1 2026) ~33%, market cap ~$2.4B.
The bottom line: ACCO vs NWL
ACCO and NWL are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined ACCO and NWL exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.
Wondering how ACCO or NWL fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in ACCO Brands Corporation with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how ACCO fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is the difference between ACCO and NWL?
+
ACCO Brands Corporation is a global consumer, technology, and business branded-products company whose products are used in schools, homes, and workplaces in more than 100 countries. Newell Brands is a global consumer-goods company that designs, manufactures, and sells everyday household products across three segments: Home and Commercial Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.
Is ACCO or NWL the better stock?
+
Neither is universally better; they suit different views and risk levels. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.
Which is cheaper, ACCO or NWL?
+
On forward P/E (as of August 2026), ACCO trades at 4.41x and NWL at 8.28x, so ACCO is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.
Should you own both ACCO and NWL?
+
Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.
What are the risks of ACCO vs NWL?
+
ACCO: The dominant risk is secular decline: demand for traditional paper-based office and school products is falling as work and documents go digital, pressuring a large part of ACCO's revenue base. High leverage compounds this, since a sizable debt load leaves less room for error if sales soften or refinancing costs rise. Input-cost inflation in materials like steel and paper, plus currency swings for an internationally exposed company, can squeeze margins. Competition is intense from e-commerce players such as Amazon Business and from private-label and regional rivals. The technology-peripherals and gaming pivot is promising but unproven at scale and exposed to console cycles and consumer discretionary spending, so a stumble there would remove the main growth offset to the shrinking core. NWL: The balance sheet is the central risk: net debt of about $4.8 billion and leverage near 5 times leave little room for error, with maturities in the 2027 to 2028 window that must be refinanced or repaid. The dividend, yielding around 5 percent, is only thinly covered by free cash flow, so a reduction is plausible and would pressure income-focused holders. Revenue has declined for multiple years, and much of the portfolio sells discretionary goods that are sensitive to consumer spending, tariffs, and input costs. The June 2026 move to the Russell 2000 can trigger index-fund selling and reflects a shrunken market value. As a turnaround, execution risk is high and progress may not be linear.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell ACCO or NWL; figures are approximate and dated (as of August 2026). Verify current data before investing.