Merit Financial Group LLC Lowers Stock Position in FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF)

Merit Financial Group LLC cut its holdings in FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,972 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 4,169 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC owned 0.15% of FutureFuel worth $257,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FF. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new stake in shares of FutureFuel during the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FutureFuel during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of FutureFuel by 28.8% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in FutureFuel by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 16,225 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 3,337 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in FutureFuel by 449.4% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 16,455 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 13,460 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 44.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Richard P. Rowe acquired 15,000 shares of FutureFuel stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3.95 per share, with a total value of $59,250.00. Following the purchase, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 41.10% of the company’s stock.

FutureFuel Trading Down 2.8%

FutureFuel stock opened at $3.87 on Friday. FutureFuel Corp. has a 12 month low of $3.77 and a 12 month high of $6.40. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $4.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.59. The firm has a market cap of $169.52 million, a PE ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.60.

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

FutureFuel Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. This represents a dividend yield of 6.08%. FutureFuel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -160.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.