EASTERN CO
EML · Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware · 6.0M shares · -0%/yr ↓ buyback · EDGAR filings ↗
Net buyback after stock comp: $2M (gross $3M, SBC $1M)
Reference price $21.40 · est. market cap ~$129M — last insider purchase, 2026-06-16 (estimated from the dated SEC Form 4 price × shares outstanding — not a live quote)
Grade
C63Mid-pack industrial hardware maker with median-clustering returns and a sharp earnings decline this year.
Strengths
- Healthy liquidity (current ratio 3.6, 62.5th pct) and moderate leverage (44th pct)
- Diversified engineered-solutions niches (returnable packaging, access hardware, vision systems)
Risks
- Net income roughly halved YoY ($13.2M to $6.0M); weak gross margin (22.6th pct) and OCF margin (25th pct)
- Declining backlog and exposure to cyclical commercial-transportation demand
Notable findings
Quarterly revenue
Last 4 quarters · from SEC filings.
Key metrics
Gross margin
22.9%
Operating margin
4.3%
Net margin
2.9%
Return on equity
5.7%
Return on assets
3.3%
ROIC
5.3%
Revenue growth (QoQ)
7.8%
Debt / equity
0.3×
Net debt / EBITDA
1.5×
Interest coverage
4.0×
Current ratio
3.6×
Free cash flow
$5M
EBITDA
$17M
Tangible book value
$61M
Cash & investments
$7M
Stock comp / revenue
0.4%
Insider transactions · last 18 months
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-16 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $21.25 |
| 2026-06-16 | Galbato Chan | Buy | 940 | $21.40 |
| 2026-06-16 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 1.7K | $21.40 |
| 2026-06-16 | Scott Peggy | Buy | 1.2K | $21.40 |
| 2026-06-16 | EVERETS JOHN | Buy | 1.3K | $21.40 |
| 2026-06-15 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Grant | 1.1K | $21.40 |
| 2026-06-12 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $20.96 |
| 2026-06-11 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $21.25 |
| 2026-06-05 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 288 | $21.50 |
| 2026-06-05 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 3.7K | $21.73 |
| 2026-06-04 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 1.9K | $21.58 |
| 2026-06-04 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 213 | $21.50 |
| 2026-03-18 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 2.0K | $20.11 |
| 2026-03-16 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 1.7K | $20.93 |
| 2026-03-16 | MARDY MICHAEL J | Buy | 1.1K | $20.93 |
| 2026-03-16 | EVERETS JOHN | Buy | 1.3K | $20.93 |
| 2026-03-16 | Galbato Chan | Buy | 962 | $20.93 |
| 2026-03-16 | HENRY CHARLES W | Buy | 989 | $20.93 |
| 2026-03-16 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Grant | 1.1K | $20.93 |
| 2026-03-16 | Scott Peggy | Buy | 1.1K | $20.93 |
| 2026-03-10 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 101 | $18.99 |
| 2026-03-09 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 2.3K | $18.74 |
| 2026-03-06 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 5.1K | $18.29 |
| 2026-03-06 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $18.39 |
| 2026-03-01 | Vlahos Nicholas Alec | Option exercise | 907 | — |
| 2025-12-16 | Scott Peggy | Buy | 1.1K | $19.55 |
| 2025-12-16 | MARDY MICHAEL J | Buy | 1.2K | $19.55 |
| 2025-12-16 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 1.8K | $19.55 |
| 2025-12-16 | EVERETS JOHN | Buy | 1.4K | $19.55 |
| 2025-12-16 | Galbato Chan | Buy | 1.0K | $19.55 |
| 2025-12-16 | HENRY CHARLES W | Buy | 1.1K | $19.55 |
| 2025-12-15 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Grant | 1.1K | $19.55 |
| 2025-12-12 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 2.4K | $20.14 |
| 2025-12-08 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 111 | $19.00 |
| 2025-12-02 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 88 | $18.85 |
| 2025-12-01 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 500 | $18.98 |
| 2025-11-19 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 2.9K | $18.82 |
| 2025-11-18 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $19.12 |
| 2025-11-17 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $19.39 |
| 2025-11-14 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 762 | $19.47 |
| 2025-11-13 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 933 | $19.79 |
| 2025-11-12 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Buy | 1.5K | $19.54 |
| 2025-11-12 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.8K | $19.49 |
| 2025-09-17 | Galbato Chan | Grant | 806 | $24.98 |
| 2025-09-17 | EVERETS JOHN | Grant | 1.1K | $24.98 |
| 2025-09-17 | MARDY MICHAEL J | Grant | 921 | $24.98 |
| 2025-09-17 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Grant | 1.4K | $24.98 |
| 2025-09-17 | HENRY CHARLES W | Grant | 829 | $24.98 |
| 2025-09-17 | Scott Peggy | Grant | 892 | $24.98 |
| 2025-09-15 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Grant | 892 | $24.98 |
| 2025-08-21 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 600 | $23.00 |
| 2025-08-20 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 414 | $22.98 |
| 2025-08-19 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $22.83 |
| 2025-08-18 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 3.0K | $22.58 |
| 2025-08-15 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $23.00 |
| 2025-08-12 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $22.99 |
| 2025-08-11 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 200 | $22.50 |
| 2025-08-08 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 96 | $22.49 |
| 2025-06-17 | HENRY CHARLES W | Grant | 911 | $23.36 |
| 2025-06-17 | MARDY MICHAEL J | Grant | 1.0K | $23.36 |
| 2025-06-17 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Grant | 1.6K | $23.36 |
| 2025-06-17 | Scott Peggy | Grant | 954 | $23.36 |
| 2025-06-17 | Galbato Chan | Grant | 430 | $23.36 |
| 2025-06-17 | EVERETS JOHN | Grant | 1.2K | $23.36 |
| 2025-06-17 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 16 | $23.00 |
| 2025-06-13 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Grant | 979 | $23.36 |
| 2025-06-13 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $23.25 |
| 2025-06-12 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 66 | $23.40 |
| 2025-06-05 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $22.25 |
| 2025-06-04 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $22.75 |
| 2025-06-03 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 46 | $22.67 |
| 2025-06-02 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.9K | $22.20 |
| 2025-05-30 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 2.0K | $22.87 |
| 2025-05-21 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.1K | $23.22 |
| 2025-05-20 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.3K | $23.50 |
| 2025-05-13 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 42 | $23.40 |
| 2025-05-12 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Buy | 1.0K | $23.50 |
| 2025-03-17 | MARDY MICHAEL J | Grant | 864 | $26.62 |
| 2025-03-17 | MITAROTONDA JAMES A | Grant | 1.4K | $26.62 |
| 2025-03-17 | HENRY CHARLES W | Grant | 777 | $26.62 |
| 2025-03-17 | EVERETS JOHN | Grant | 1.3K | $26.62 |
| 2025-03-17 | Scott Peggy | Grant | 837 | $26.62 |
| 2025-03-14 | DiSanto Frederick D. | Grant | 837 | $26.62 |
| 2025-03-01 | Vlahos Nicholas Alec | Option exercise | 408 | — |
| 2025-03-01 | Vlahos Nicholas Alec | Option exercise | 907 | — |
All non-derivative Form 4 activity (SEC), newest first.
Clinical trials
| Trial | Title | Phase | Status | Primary completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT05096546 ↗ | The Proportion of Patients Diagnosed With Dry Eye by the Asia Dry Eye Society (ADES) Criteria in Taiwan (DECS-TW) Dry Eye Syndromes | — | Unknown | 2022-02-28 |
| NCT03515369 ↗ | Effect of Babaodan on Tumor Recurrence After Curative Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Tumor Recurrence | PHASE4 | Unknown | 2022-01-01 |
| NCT04185129 ↗ | Comparison Efficacy in Patients With Asthma Using Foster MDI and Relvar Medications Asthma | PHASE4 | Unknown | 2021-12-31 |
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. NIH) · active studies first.
Notable events (8-K)
| Date | Items | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-02 | Reg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-05-12 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-05-08 | OtherExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-05-08 | Shareholder voteExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-03-03 | Exec/director change5.03Exhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-03-03 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-03-02 | Exec/director change5.03Exhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2025-11-04 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
Recent filings
| Form | Filed | Period | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-K | 2026-06-02 | 2026-06-02 | 0001654954-26-005609 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-05-12 | 2026-05-12 | 0001654954-26-004737 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2026-05-12 | 2026-04-04 | 0001654954-26-004741 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-05-08 | 2026-05-06 | 0001654954-26-004552 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-05-08 | 2026-05-06 | 0001654954-26-004555 ↗ |
| 10-K/A | 2026-03-19 | 2026-01-03 | 0001654954-26-002506 ↗ |
| 10-K | 2026-03-03 | 2026-01-03 | 0001654954-26-001850 ↗ |
| 8-K/A | 2026-03-03 | 2026-02-25 | 0001654954-26-001847 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-03-03 | 2026-03-03 | 0001654954-26-001845 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-03-02 | 2026-02-25 | 0001654954-26-001779 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2025-11-04 | 2025-11-04 | 0001654954-25-012584 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2025-11-04 | 2025-09-27 | 0001654954-25-012582 ↗ |