FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 603,800 shares, an increase of 8.2% from the November 30th total of 558,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 292,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Currently, 2.4% of the company's shares are short sold.
In other news, CEO Roeland Polet purchased 10,000 shares of FutureFuel stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $5.11 per share, with a total value of $51,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $51,100. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 41.10% of the company's stock.
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FF. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of FutureFuel in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in FutureFuel by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,423 shares of the energy company's stock worth $3,475,000 after buying an additional 5,947 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in FutureFuel by 57.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 18,518 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 6,779 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of FutureFuel in the third quarter worth $47,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FutureFuel during the third quarter worth $58,000. 44.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Shares of FF traded down $0.02 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $5.29. 149,674 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 427,426. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.52. The stock has a market cap of $231.51 million, a PE ratio of 6.45 and a beta of 0.58. FutureFuel has a twelve month low of $4.15 and a twelve month high of $8.36.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 4th will be given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 4th. FutureFuel's payout ratio is 29.27%.
Separately, StockNews.com lowered FutureFuel from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th.
View Our Latest Stock Report on FF
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.
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