Nuveen Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF) by 82.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 283,742 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 127,847 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.65% of FutureFuel worth $1,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new position in FutureFuel during the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of FutureFuel during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of FutureFuel by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,990 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 2,904 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in shares of FutureFuel by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 16,225 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 3,337 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of FutureFuel by 449.4% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 16,455 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 13,460 shares during the period. 44.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FutureFuel news, Director Richard P. Rowe purchased 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $3.95 per share, with a total value of $59,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $79,000. This trade represents a 300.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 41.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut FutureFuel from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd.

FutureFuel Stock Performance

Shares of FutureFuel stock opened at $3.97 on Wednesday. FutureFuel Corp. has a one year low of $3.77 and a one year high of $6.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $4.02 and its 200 day moving average is $4.64. The stock has a market cap of $173.68 million, a P/E ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.69.

FutureFuel (NYSE:FF) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The energy company reported ($0.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. FutureFuel had a return on equity of 15.32% and a net margin of 13.18%. The firm had revenue of $17.54 million during the quarter.

FutureFuel Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. This represents a dividend yield of 6.08%. FutureFuel’s payout ratio is -160.00%.

FutureFuel 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.