FutureFuel (NYSE:FF) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

FutureFuel (NYSE:FF) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

FutureFuel Stock Down 17.8 %

Shares of FF traded down $1.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $5.01. 1,380,631 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 451,511. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.44. FutureFuel has a 52-week low of $4.15 and a 52-week high of $8.36. The company has a market cap of $219.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.10 and a beta of 0.61.

FutureFuel (NYSE:FF) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 9th. The energy company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $72.41 million during the quarter. FutureFuel had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 15.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul Manheim acquired 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $6.10 per share, with a total value of $36,600.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 19,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $116,528.30. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 41.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FutureFuel

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of FutureFuel by 76.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,553,136 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $7,968,000 after purchasing an additional 671,144 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in FutureFuel by 3.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,391,525 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $11,202,000 after purchasing an additional 45,914 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in FutureFuel by 321.7% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 742,405 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 566,367 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of FutureFuel by 612.4% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 352,525 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,808,000 after acquiring an additional 303,038 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of FutureFuel by 56.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 241,603 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,239,000 after acquiring an additional 86,780 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 44.56% of the company’s stock.

FutureFuel Company Profile

FutureFuel Corp., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells diversified chemical, bio-based fuel, and bio-based specialty chemical products in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Chemicals and Biofuels. The Chemicals segment provides various custom chemicals that are used in the coatings, chemical intermediates, industrial and consumer cleaning, oil and gas, and specialty polymers industries; and performance chemicals, such as polymer modifiers, glycerin products, and various specialty chemicals and solvents.