Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of FutureFuel Put Options (NYSE:FF)

FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 4,221 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 680% compared to the typical daily volume of 541 put options.

FutureFuel Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE FF traded down $0.04 on Friday, reaching $8.08. 626,083 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 521,804. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $6.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.38. The company has a market cap of $353.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61 and a beta of 0.82. FutureFuel has a 12 month low of $5.27 and a 12 month high of $10.31.

FutureFuel (NYSE:FF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The energy company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $92.01 million during the quarter. FutureFuel had a return on equity of 12.41% and a net margin of 10.15%.

FutureFuel Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a None dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 26th will be given a $2.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 10th. FutureFuel's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded FutureFuel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th.

Institutional Trading of FutureFuel

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FF. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of FutureFuel by 821.9% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,029 shares of the energy company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 5,375 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new stake in shares of FutureFuel during the third quarter worth $55,000. Laurion Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of FutureFuel during the third quarter worth $74,000. Wolverine Trading LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FutureFuel during the third quarter worth $75,000. Finally, Man Group plc purchased a new stake in shares of FutureFuel during the fourth quarter worth $88,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 44.56% of the company's stock.

FutureFuel Company Profile

FutureFuel Corp., through its subsidiary, FutureFuel Chemical Company, 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.