FutureFuel Corp
🔔 Watch stock
Assessment
Our Rating
A journalistic assessment by our editorial team at the time of the deep dive — it rates the company, not the entry point. Not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell.
We found at least one documented issue that threatens the company itself — regardless of how the stock is currently valued.
Why this colour
This rating judges the company, not the share price — and at the company level there is a documented substance finding: cash of $22.4 million (3/31/2026) stands against an operating cash outflow of $20.0 million in the first quarter of 2026 alone; even together with the undrawn $35 million revolver the runway is clearly below four quarters, and the covenants (maximum leverage, minimum interest coverage) bite precisely when there are losses. Add five consecutive loss quarters, two negative segments and the cut of the quarterly dividend from $0.06 to $0.01 — the company itself is signalling a need for cash. Against that stands what we will not suppress: management considers its funds sufficient for the foreseeable future, expects more than $27 million in customer deposits in 2026 and guides to a positive adjusted full-year result. But those are expectations dated May 11, 2026, while the cash balance is an audited as-of figure — and in a borderline case like that the more cautious level applies. Explicitly not part of this colour are price, valuation or trading volume: the balance sheet is debt-free, the plant is paid for, and the demand outlook from 2027 is good. That is precisely why this is not a verdict on the share but on the time the company has left to fill its own plant again. The decision is yours.
What the thesis turns on
Assessment: Opportunities & Risks
FutureFuel is a debt-free plant whose product no longer fetches an economic price since a subsidy disappeared: the biodiesel unit ran at 9 of 59 million gallons in 2025, revenue fell 61 percent to $95.7 million, and both segments slipped into the red. The decisive figure is not in the income statement but on the bank account: $22.4 million as of March 31, 2026 after $109.5 million five quarters earlier, with $20.0 million of operating cash outflow in the first quarter of 2026 alone. That is why the quarterly dividend stands at 1 cent. On the other side stand the highest blending mandates in the program's history from 2027 and a paid-for capacity used to just 15 percent. It is a race between cash and calendar. Not investment advice.
Liquidity and cash runway
Cash fell from $109.5 million (12/31/2024) to $22.4 million (3/31/2026); in the first quarter of 2026 alone, $20.0 million flowed out of operations, plus $6.3 million of investment and $2.6 million of dividends. Even with the undrawn $35 million revolver, the buffer at that pace lasts roughly two to three quarters — and its covenants (leverage, interest coverage) bite precisely when there are losses. The company considers its funds sufficient for the foreseeable future in the quarterly report of 05/11/2026 and expects more than $27 million in customer deposits in 2026; that is documented as an expectation, not as an inflow.
Earnings power
Both segments were negative in 2025 (chemicals −$13.0 million, biodiesel −$26.4 million) after +$29.9 million and +$11.0 million in 2023. In the first quarter of 2026 revenue rose to $32.0 million (year-ago quarter $17.5 million) but the net loss grew to $20.6 million, or $0.47 per share. More revenue has not shrunk the loss so far.
Balance sheet structure
No financial debt, total liabilities of only $37.1 million against equity of $141.9 million and current assets of $84.1 million versus current liabilities of $17.6 million (3/31/2026). The plant is paid for; property, plant and equipment stand at $89.9 million. This balance sheet buys time, even if it does not stop the outflow.
Dependence on politics and large customers
The biodiesel result hangs on tax credits: $1.00 per gallon until 12/31/2024, then §45Z with a base of $0.20 and draft rules only from early February 2026. On the other side, three chemical customers account for 50 percent of revenue and two for 67 percent of all receivables (12/31/2025). Both clusters sit outside the company's own control.
Demand outlook
On 03/27/2026 the EPA locked in the highest blending volumes in the program's history: 5.3 to 5.4 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel for 2026 and 5.7 to 5.8 billion for 2027, roughly 60 percent more than 2025; the credit advantage of competing renewable diesel falls from 1.7 to 1.5 by 2027. For 2027, 100 percent utilization of U.S. capacity is expected — at a plant that ran at 15 percent in 2025.
Operational reliability
Winter storm "Fern" shut most of the plant for 30 days from 01/27/2026 ($1.4 million of extraordinary costs), and a fire on 05/09/2026 halted biodiesel production again. The quarterly report of 05/11/2026 describes evaluation and repairs as ongoing; through 07/26/2026 there is no further SEC filing on it, so neither a damage figure nor a confirmed restart.
Worth Noting
FutureFuel reached our research list through the daily Reddit hype scan (first seen on July 26, 2026, 07:00 UTC, 2 mentions, market value captured $204.0 million). There is no hit in our momentum, quality or valuation lists on that date; those lists are recalculated daily.
Data basis: annual figures from the annual report 10-K for 2025, quarterly figures from the 10-Q as of 3/31/2026. Effective January 1, 2026 FutureFuel changed its inventory accounting from LIFO to weighted average cost and restated prior-year quarters retrospectively — quarterly and annual figures therefore rest on different measurement bases and are not comparable to the last digit. The cash balance is unaffected.
The market value of $204.0 million is a dated scan figure from July 26, 2026. Cross-check: the cover page of the annual report states an aggregate market value of shares held by non-affiliates of $134.4 million as of June 30, 2025; across roughly 26.8 million freely tradable shares that equals $5.02 per share and, extrapolated to all 43,863,507 shares, around $220 million. The gap is roughly eight percent. Analyses are evergreen; daily prices are not a buying argument.
Not to be confused: on the Nasdaq, the ticker FF also stood for Faraday Future Intelligent Electric until 2025. This analysis refers exclusively to FutureFuel Corp. on the NYSE, SEC identifier CIK 0001337298.
Stock Watch
This analysis is as of August 26, 2026. Stock Watch will tell you what's changed at FF since then.
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Price history
Chart
Interactive price chart (TradingView).
52-week range: 3.10 $ to 6.40 $ · Last price: 5.50 $ (As of: September 17, 2026)
Key figures
Key figures at a glance
Every figure we hold for this stock, grouped by topic. The question mark next to a label explains what the number means.
Basics
Performance
Technical Indicators
Calculated from the price history · as of 09/18/2026
Valuation
Profitability
Balance Sheet & Safety
Growth
Dividend
Quality & Screener
Highlighted are things our editorial team noticed: green = stands out as strong, red = deserves a closer look. No single metric is a verdict on its own — always read it in context.
Comparison
Industry comparison
The stock alongside the largest companies in the same group. The median row is the middle value of the companies shown above — not of the whole industry.
Industry: Specialty Chemicals
| Company | Market cap ($B) | P/E | EV/EBITDA | Gross Margin % | EBIT Margin % | Sales Growth (Year) % | Perf. 1Y % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FutureFuel Corp FF | 0.2 | – | 2.7 | -8.3 | – | -60.7 | 45.7 |
| Linde plc LIN | 212.0 | 30.6 | 17.5 | 48.4 | 28.5 | 3.0 | -3.2 |
| Sherwin-Williams Co SHW | 77.7 | 31.5 | 19.5 | 49.0 | 14.2 | 2.1 | -7.5 |
| Ecolab Inc ECL | 76.7 | 37.6 | 21.6 | 44.2 | 16.9 | 2.2 | 3.5 |
| Air Products and Chemicals Inc APD | 64.1 | 30.2 | 48.8 | 32.1 | 23.6 | -0.5 | 1.1 |
| PPG Industries Inc PPG | 23.5 | 15.3 | 10.4 | 41.2 | 13.7 | 0.2 | -0.6 |
| International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. IFF | 21.7 | 26.8 | 59.0 | 36.6 | 10.1 | -5.2 | 37.3 |
| LyondellBasell Industries NV LYB | 21.1 | – | 16.7 | 12.9 | 3.5 | -25.2 | 27.6 |
| Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA SQM | 20.5 | 25.3 | 8.6 | 42.2 | 41.1 | 0.9 | 60.5 |
| Median of companies shown | 23.5 | 30.2 | 17.5 | 41.2 | 15.5 | 0.2 | 3.5 |
Based on the most recently reported figures. Only stocks from the same trading venue are lined up, so the market caps are counted in one currency. Compare in a chart →
Fiscal years
Annual Figures
Fiscal years from the audited annual reports, oldest first. EBIT is the operating profit before interest and taxes; total assets are everything the company owns.
Revenue, operating income and net income per fiscal year $M
Revenue Operating income Net income
| Fiscal Year | Revenue ($M) | EBIT ($M) | Net Income ($M) | EPS ($) | Operating Cash Flow ($M) | Equity ($M) | Total Assets ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 253 | 37 | 56 | 1.29 | 91 | 333 | 529 |
| 2017 | 275 | 10 | 24 | 0.54 | 39 | 352 | 426 |
| 2018 | 291 | 63 | 53 | 1.22 | 86 | 389 | 471 |
| 2019 | 205 | 65 | 88 | 2.02 | 35 | 467 | 587 |
| 2020 | 205 | 22 | 47 | 1.06 | 96 | 372 | 441 |
| 2021 | 321 | 13 | 26 | 0.60 | 44 | 289 | 344 |
| 2022 | 396 | 18 | 15 | 0.35 | 53 | 283 | 356 |
| 2023 | 368 | 27 | 37 | 0.85 | 21 | 310 | 367 |
| 2024 | 243 | 6 | 16 | 0.35 | 25 | 206 | 248 |
| 2025 | 96 | -54 | -49 | -1.13 | -29 | 155 | 192 |
Quarters
Quarterly Figures
Each bar is one quarter, the last one is the most recent. Use the switch to step through the individual figures.
Revenue & Profit
Cash Flow
Balance Sheet
Margins
Per Share
Click the chart or tab into it, then use ← and → to step through the periods.
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· Total · per year
These companies report in different currencies — switch on “Indexed” or pick a margin for a fair comparison.
The figures could not be loaded right now.
Source: fundamental data
| Quarter | EPS (Earnings Per Share) | EPS YoY (%) | Sales ($M) | Sales YoY (%) | Net Margin (%) | OCF ($M) | FCF ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024: Q4 | 0.06 | -88.00 | 62 | -33.10 | 4.50 | -17 | -21 |
| 2025: Q1 | -0.41 | -517.90 | 18 | -69.90 | -103.20 | -5 | -9 |
| 2025: Q2 | -0.24 | -208.80 | 36 | -50.70 | -29.20 | 5 | 0 |
| 2025: Q3 | -0.21 | – | 23 | -55.60 | -41.10 | -1 | -7 |
| 2025: Q4 | -0.27 | -529.40 | 20 | -67.70 | -60.50 | -27 | -30 |
| 2026: Q1 | -0.47 | – | 32 | 82.20 | -64.40 | -20 | -25 |
| 2026: Q2 | 0.25 | 204.20 | 79 | 120.40 | 14.50 | 19 | 11 |
What Do These Terms Mean?
- EPS (Earnings Per Share):
- Quarterly profit divided by the total share count — how much of the profit works out to a single share.
- YoY (Year over Year):
- Change versus the same quarter a year ago — this is how you compare without seasonal distortion (e.g. the holiday shopping season).
- Sales:
- All revenue for the quarter, before any costs are deducted — the top line of the income statement.
- Net Margin:
- What percentage of sales is left over as profit in the end. Negative means the company is posting a loss.
- OCF (Operating Cash Flow):
- The cash that actually flows into the till from the core business during the quarter — harder to dress up than book profit.
- FCF (Free Cash Flow):
- Operating cash flow minus capital expenditures — the money that's genuinely free to use, say for paying down debt, buybacks, or dividends.
Screening
Appears in These Scanners
This stock currently matches 7 of our scanner strategies — each hit links to the scanner.
Dividends
Momentum & Trend
Research
Risk & Weakness
Only genuine hits from verified scanners count; pure ranking metrics (P/E, P/S, and similar, which just sort the whole universe) don't count as a hit. Scanners marked in red are red-flag signals (risk/short scanners) — appearing there is not a seal of approval. View all scanners
Outlook
Analysts & Price Target
Combined picture of the price targets and recommendations of every analyst covering the stock. Price targets are expectations for the next 12 months, not promises — and they often follow the price rather than predict it.
Valuation
What is priced in?
Free cash flow over the past twelve months is negative, which rules out a serious reverse calculation. Any growth rate only makes a negative cash flow more negative; no present value comes out of it. What the price reflects here is therefore not a stream of cash flows, but the expectation that there will be one at all.
A simplified model calculation — not a forecast and not a recommendation.
AI classification
AI Rating
FutureFuel verkauft keine KI und setzt sie laut Berichten auch nicht produktiv im Werk ein — im Geschäftsbericht 10-K für 2025 steht jedoch erstmals ein eigener Risikoabschnitt zu neuen Technologien und künstlicher Intelligenz: Ungesteuerte KI-Nutzung durch Beschäftigte gefährdet ausgerechnet den Kern des Auftragsfertigungs-Geschäfts, die proprietären Syntheserezepturen der Kunden, und KI-Fehlausgaben könnten zu Vorfällen bei der Prozesssicherheit oder zu fehlerhaften Behördenmeldungen führen.
View the full file — quotes, sources, reviewed filings
„Improper use of generative AI and LLMs could result in a material adverse effect on our operations and financial results. Employees may engage in the horizontal use of generative AI and LLMs. … Furthermore, reliance on AI-generated output that contains “hallucinations” or technical inaccuracies could, if not verified by subject matter experts, result in process safety incidents or inaccurate regulatory reporting, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business and operations, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows."
Der unsachgemäße Einsatz generativer KI und großer Sprachmodelle könnte wesentliche nachteilige Auswirkungen auf unseren Betrieb und unsere Finanzergebnisse haben. Beschäftigte könnten generative KI und Sprachmodelle quer durch das Unternehmen einsetzen. … Zudem könnte das Vertrauen auf KI-Ausgaben, die „Halluzinationen“ oder technische Ungenauigkeiten enthalten, ohne Prüfung durch Fachleute zu Vorfällen bei der Prozesssicherheit oder zu fehlerhaften Behördenmeldungen führen, was wesentliche nachteilige Auswirkungen auf Geschäft und Betrieb, Ergebnis, Finanzlage und Zahlungsströme der Gesellschaft haben könnte.
10-K · 2026-03-16 · View SEC filing
„To maintain the security of our proprietary synthesis formulas and intellectual property, the Company is developing a Responsible Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) & large language models (“LLM”) Governance Policy. This framework utilizes a ‘Responsible AI by Design’ philosophy to govern the current individual use of third-party tools while establishing the safety protocols and human-in-the-loop verification standards necessary to evaluate any future application of emerging technologies within our manufacturing or financial systems."
Um die Sicherheit unserer proprietären Syntheserezepturen und unseres geistigen Eigentums zu wahren, entwickelt die Gesellschaft eine Richtlinie für verantwortungsvolle künstliche Intelligenz („AI“) und große Sprachmodelle („LLM“). Dieser Rahmen folgt dem Grundsatz „Responsible AI by Design“, um die derzeitige individuelle Nutzung von Werkzeugen Dritter zu steuern und zugleich die Sicherheitsprotokolle und Prüfstandards mit menschlicher Kontrolle festzulegen, die nötig sind, um jede künftige Anwendung neuer Technologien in unseren Fertigungs- oder Finanzsystemen zu bewerten.
10-K · 2026-03-16 · View SEC filing
Filings Reviewed: 10-Q 2026-05-11 · 10-Q 2025-11-10 · 10-Q 2025-08-11 · 10-Q 2025-05-12 · 10-K 2026-03-16 · 10-K 2025-03-31
Rated on July 26, 2026 · How the Rating Is Built
Growth
Growth Score
Ten checks against the annual reports — each one passed counts a point.
- Revenue grows by more than 15% a year over three years -37.7%
- More than 10% revenue growth is expected for the coming year no data
- Share count grows by less than 3% a year 0.0%
- Revenue growth plus cash-flow margin add up to at least 40 ("Rule of 40") -108.7%
- Gross margin at 40% or higher and without meaningful erosion -42.5%
- Goodwill from acquisitions does not grow faster than revenue 0.0%
- Net debt below twice EBITDA 51 m net cash
- Operating cash flow covers the profits of the last three years 14 m
- Return on capital at 15% or higher, or up versus two years ago -31.1%
- Insiders hold at least 10% or are net buyers 42.4%
A criterion without figures counts neither as passed nor as failed; a score is only produced from 7 judgeable criteria upwards. Source: fundamental data. All ten criteria in detail
Quality check
AAQS
1/10The AAQS (AlleAktien Quality Score) checks 10 quality criteria on growth, profitability, and balance-sheet strength — per the methodology developed and published by AlleAktien, calculated by us from our own fundamental data. A stock counts as a quality stock from 9 out of 10 points. Where a company has a shorter listing history, we calculate over the fiscal years available (at least five).
- Sales growth 10Y > 5% -10.2%
- Exp. sales growth 3Y > 5% –
- EBIT growth 10Y > 5% –
- Exp. EBIT growth 3Y > 5% –
- Net debt < 4x EBIT –
- EBIT positive, 10Y straight 9
- Max. EBIT decline < 50% 100.0%
- Return on equity > 15% -31.9%
- ROCE > 15% -31.1%
- Expected return > 10% –
View stocks with the full AAQS score · Read the methodology at AlleAktien
Source: fundamental data
The company
About the Company
FutureFuel Corp. stellt zusammen mit seinen Tochtergesellschaften diversifizierte anorganische Chemikalien, biobasierte Kraftstoffe und biobasierte Spezialchemieprodukte in den USA her und verkauft sie.
- Employees
- 493
- Headquarters
- Batesville, AR
- Address
- 2800 Gap Road, 72501 Batesville, United States
- Phone
- 870 698 5608
- Website
- futurefuelcorporation.com
- IPO Date
- 05/09/1986
- ISIN
- US36116M1062
Management
| Name | Title | Birth Year |
|---|---|---|
| Roeland H. Polet | CEO & Chairman of the Board | 1963 |
| Rose M. Sparks CPA | CFO, Principal Accounting Officer & Treasurer | 1967 |
| Kyle Gaither | Chief Operating Officer | 1969 |
| Paul Anthony Novelly | Chairman Emeritus | 1944 |
Executives per the latest required filings; titles kept in their original language. Source: fundamental data.
Filings
Company Filings (8-K)
An 8-K is the filing a US company must use to disclose material events immediately — takeovers, changes at the top, major contracts or payment troubles, for instance. The links open the original document at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Data as of: September 17, 2026 · Source: fundamental data & SEC filings (annual and quarterly reports, 10-K/10-Q)
Note: pure fact-based analysis, not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell. All figures without guarantee.