Everything behind the call on FutureFuel Corp. 6 sections, ordered the way risk stacks up: survival first, quality and price in the middle, context last. The Beacon gives you the read. This is where you check the work.
The five reads
Why the reads disagreeread this before the sections
Event and Quality are pulling against each other and the split is genuine rather than a formality. The net lands at +1 over 30d, a balanced reading on a dispersion of 0.48, which makes this a question of size rather than of direction.
Leans up · and why
earnings vote up. 2 of 4 independent evidence families agree.
Leans down · and why
quality / value vote down. 2 of 4 families lean the other way. The conflict that matters is Event against Quality.
What it changes
Size, not direction. separately, the tail model puts a very bad day at −11.0%; and the binding position cap is 1.9% — the tail cap is the one that binds.
Global tapeOverseas lean+0.37%
Frankfurt3FF+0.74%⏱Zurich3FF0.00%⏱
Where else this company trades. A closed venue shows its last close, marked ⏱ — not a live price. Overseas lean is the average move across the 2 overseas venues listed above, excluding the home listing — a read on overnight sentiment rather than a signal.
The bottom linestart hereAs of 2026-09-29
Chart pattern
Between the averages
The 50-day sits above the 200-day
50-day $5.26 · -4.0% 200-day $4.30 · +17.5%
Earnings
In 41 days
9 Nov 2026
beat 5–6 of the last 8 cohort P(beat) 64% · n=45,260
Valuation
6.4× forward
Against consensus earnings
5yr median 11×
Dividend
0.79%
A rounding error against cash — this is a capital-gains position
Risk flags
1 critical
5 checks run, 0 clear
beta 0.33 · vol 29% ann. worst drawdown -31%
New to this? Every metric carries a plain-English read beside it, and an ⓘ next to a label opens the definition. Anything unfamiliar is also defined at the foot of the page under Glossary.
In one paragraphwhat the company actually does185 chars
FutureFuel Corp., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells diversified inorganic chemicals, bio-based fuel, and bio-based specialty chemical products in the United States.
NYSE · USDSpecialty Chemicals
$5.05-0.03 · -0.59%vol 24.1K
52-week range↑ 63% off low · ↓ 27.8% off high
$3.09now $5.05$6.99
Quote Sep 29, 2026 · time not on file Tape 2026-09-28 Factors 2026-09-29
01Ratios · Aug 6, 2026SOLVENCY IN QUESTION
Survival & solvency
Altman-Z of 2.7 against a 3.0 safe threshold, interest covered -346.3×, and 0 of 5 forensic checks clear.
↳ Plain EnglishBefore anything else: can this company pay its bills? These blocks check the balance sheet, whether your slice of ownership is being diluted, and whether the accounting looks honest.
Bankruptcy risk (Altman-Z)
2.65GREY ZONE
Distress<1.8
Grey1.8–3.0
Safe>3.0
Profitability, leverage and liquidity combined into one number. Above 3.0 is the safe band.
Balance sheetAug 6, 2026
Piotroski F-scoreCRITICAL
F 2/8
Piotroski F-score 2 of 8. Nine pass/fail tests covering profitability, leverage and operating efficiency; seven or more is strong.
Solvency and liquidity ratios
Interest coverageoperating profit against the interest bill-346.3×healthy >5
Your ownership stake
Stock-based comp / revenueIN LINE
1.1%
Stock comp is the dilution pressure a buyback has to outrun. We read up to 5% of revenue as modest and above 12% as heavy — our own reading band, not a measured peer statistic.
Diluted vs basic share gapTHIN OVERHANG
0.00%
Options and awards already granted, expressed as the gap between the diluted and basic counts.
Accounting forensicsSEC filings
Red-flag x-rayGRADE F
33 / 100
1 critical · 2 watch · 0 clear of 3 scored tests
0 of 5 checks clear
Red-flag x-ray · every check, passes included
CheckStatusValueWhat it looks for
Bankruptcy distressWATCHZ 2.65Altman-Z in the Grey · fundamentals
Earnings manipulationNAn/aBeneish-M not available · fundamentals
LeverageNAn/aLong-term debt / equity not available · fundamentals
Profitability qualityCRITICALF 2/8Piotroski F-score 2 of 8 · fundamentals
Filing forensicsWATCH2 flags2 filing red flags on the latest 10-K · forensic
5 checks, 2 watch and 1 critical. The passes are shown because a score built from five checks means something different from one built from three.
02
Business quality
The quality blocks below render whatever the filings support; anything absent says so in place.
↳ Plain EnglishMargins tell you how much of each sales dollar the company keeps. Return on capital tells you whether reinvesting that money creates value. Both are read against what the filings support, not against a target.
12-1 momentum
+37.3%EX LAST MONTH
Return over the last year excluding the most recent month — the standard momentum factor, which drops the short-term reversal.
Profitability
Data unavailableNo parsed income statement is on file, so margins, returns on capital and cash generation cannot be computed for this name.
Growth & relative strength
Trailing return by period
1 month
-4.9%
3 months
+12.4%
6 months
+28.9%
Year to date
+59.7%
1 year
+29.3%
Relative-strength rankTOP 22%
79 / 100
Where this name's 3-month return against the S&P 500 ranks across the market — a quarter's standing, not the year's.
cohort n=45,260 · this name's own n=8 · since 2000
Beat rate · this nameBEAT 5–6 OF THE LAST 8
6 of 8
Its own record against consensus. 8 prints is a small sample, which is why the cohort rate above carries the probability.
n=8 measured prints
Fell after a beatP(FELL | BEAT)
33%
A beat is not a plan: this share of them still closed lower on the day.
n=6 beats — a conditional rate over its own denominator, not a share of all prints
Typical earnings moveMEDIAN ABSOLUTE
±6.3%
Unsigned magnitudes from its own prints. Direction is not part of this read.
n=8 prints · p90 ±8.3% · worst 8.6% (2016-03-10)
Reaction: beat vs missData unavailableThe beat-versus-miss reaction gap is not computed for this name — undetermined — needs ≥12 measured beats.
Consensus bias1.05× COHORT
Persistent
beats most quarters, by thin margins
As of · Nov 9, 2016
Dividends & income
Dividend yieldforward annual
0.79%
The cash return the payment alone provides at today's price.
Inventory ledger
Data unavailableNo inventory detail is tagged in this company's filings. The ledger needs the XBRL inventory components, which a business without physical goods does not report.
Segments & geography
Data unavailableRevenue by segment and region is not on file for this name, so product and geographic concentration are not shown.
↳ Plain EnglishA multiple is what the market charges for a dollar of this company's earnings, cash or revenue; the trend and the options tape say what the price is doing around it. Together they are the timing picture, not the quality one.
Trend
Mixed1 OF 3 AVERAGES
50-day $5.26 · 200-day $4.30. Price above both is the structural definition of an uptrend.
The setup right now
Price · 504 sessions2024-09-24 → 2026-09-28
price50-day200-day
How to read this
Down 0.59% on the session.
Follow the solid line: each point is a session close. Compare it to the 50-day average — while price stays above it the short-term trend is up, and a drop below is the first structural warning.
Market cap$224.14M
Day range$5.00 – $5.17
Above 52-week low+63%
Realized volatility29% ann.
Worst drawdown-30.9%
Momentum (RSI-14)COOL
41
030 oversold70 hot100
Where momentum sits on a 0–100 scale. Above 70 is overbought, below 30 oversold; the middle says the move has room either way.
Typical day (ATR-14)±3.5%
$0.17
The average true range — how far this stock moves on an ordinary day. It sets the scale a stop has to clear.
MACDBELOW SIGNAL
-0.05
The short-term trend against its own signal line. The sign is the read; the size is not a target.
Bollinger position0% OF RANGE
Lower band
Where price sits inside its own volatility band. The edges are where a move is stretched, not where it reverses.
20-day VWAPPRICE BELOW
$5.35
The volume-weighted average of the last month. Price above it means recent buyers are, on average, in profit.
Chandelier exitBROKEN
$5.13
A volatility-based trailing stop, set a few average ranges below the recent high.
9 Nov 2026 · in 41 daysNext earningsThe next scheduled catalyst. The forward guide usually moves the tape more than the printed number. Date as the vendor last stated it on 12 Aug; companies confirm about three weeks ahead, so it can still move.
2026-09-29 · todayJob Openings (JOLTS)A scheduled macro release. It moves this stock independently of anything the company does.
Setup & oddsNightly
Direction oddsnext 12m
46 / 53cohort n=3,967
A lean, not a forecast. These are the cohort's odds — comparable names over the window — not this stock's own history.
Pullback riskoverstretch read
Low0.67× segment rate · n=7,478
Historically, micro names in this tape state saw a ≥10% pullback within 63 trading days in 59% of cases (n=7,478).
Overstretchvs the 20-day mean
-1.9σ
How many standard deviations price sits from its 20-day mean. Beyond 2σ is genuinely stretched; inside it is ordinary.
Bottom zoneif it breaks down
$5 – $52 supports
Where prior demand appeared: Pivot low at $5.05, S1 at $5.00.
Slide scorefalling-knife check
4 / 100Neutral
A composite of consecutive down days, gap risk and volume expansion. Low means any decline is orderly.
Signal
The odds lean, the stretch qualifies it.
Historically, names tripping 2 validated red flags finished lower 12 months later in 53% of cases (n=3,967) — a survivor-biased floor, not a forecast.
Valuation
Multiples
Forward P/Eearnings expected over the next 12 months6.4×5yr median 11×
0 of the 1 priced multiple above sit in the richer half of its band. Each priced multiple is read against this stock's own history where a five-year range is on file, so the question is whether today is dear for this name rather than for the market. The multiples are computed separately from the quote above and are not re-priced as it moves, so they can lag it.
Price horizon & timing
Data unavailableMicro-cap names are excluded from the level composer by design. At this size the daily range routinely swallows the distance between an entry and a stop, so the levels would describe noise rather than structure.
Gamma map
Data unavailableThis name has no listed options chain, so there is no dealer gamma to map. Regime, flip level, walls and the implied move all need a chain to exist.
Options tape
Data unavailableNo options chain is connected for this ticker. Max pain, the put/call ratio, the implied move and the open-interest ladder all need the chain feed.
0413F quarterly · Form 4 dailyNET SIGNAL +1
Ownership & flow
Institutions hold 39%, short interest is 4.65% of float.
↳ Plain EnglishWho is buying and selling, and what they had to disclose. Institutions file 13F 45 days after quarter end, executives file Form 4 within two days, and Congress discloses under the STOCK Act with a 30–45 day legal lag. Every one of those is a look backwards.
Net signal
+1BALANCED · 30d
Earnings +3
Quality / value -2
1 bull / 1 bear factors. The points sum to the net beside the label; nothing here is weighted after the fact.
The QTick signalNightly
Earnings4 QUARTERS · TIMING
+3
latest EPS beat by 21%
Quality / valueTTM · CONTEXT
-2
weak Piotroski F-score (2/8)
Signal
1 bull / 1 bear factors
Independent factors scored and netted to +1 over 30d, a balanced reading. 2 of 9 factors carried a direction; the others scored zero and do not vote. The signal describes where the data leans, not what to do about it.
Cross-category readSep 28, 2026
Signal
The evidence families are split down the middle.
Descriptive only — a decorrelated read of where the evidence agrees and conflicts, not a forecast and not advice. Patterns are condition lists, not outcome predictions, and are not yet validated to the proof bar. Dispersion of 0.48 means the disagreement is a genuine split.
A check on whether independent evidence families agree, rather than a second score.
Wall Street
Data unavailableNo sell-side firm publishes research on this name. There is no consensus rating, no price target and no estimate revisions to weigh — for a company this size that is the norm rather than a gap in our data.
Who owns it13F quarterly · Form 4 daily
Institutional ownershipRETAIL-HEAVY
39.4%
The share held by 13F filers. It describes last quarter's positioning, not today's — filings land up to 45 days after quarter end.
Insider ownershipOFFICERS & DIRECTORS
40.7%
The share held by the people running the company.
Short interest (float)LIGHT
4.65%
Rising — shares short changed +29.0% over 30 days. There is no short base to squeeze here.
Free float59% OF SHARES
26.04M
Shares actually available to trade, excluding insider and restricted holdings.
Dollar volume (ADV)50th PCTILE
$2.13M/day
Average dollars traded per day, and where that ranks cross-sectionally. Thin liquidity is a cost you pay on the way out, not just on the way in.
Borrow feeData unavailableWe do not license securities-lending data, so the annualized cost of borrowing shares to short is not something we can show. Short interest and days-to-cover above are the closest read we can source.
The story · news & sentimentRolling window
Why it moved todayTECHNICAL
-0.59%
FF fell −0.59% in today's session, closing below lower band ($5.08).
Matched · Sep 29, 2026
CongressSTOCK Act · 30–45d lag
Signal
Net buying.
1 of 1 disclosures are buys and 0 are sales. Lawmakers disclose on a 30–45 day legal lag, so this describes what was done weeks ago, not what is being done now.
Disclosed lawmaker trades, with their legal reporting lag.
050 graded callsORDINARY VOLATILITY
Risk & track record
Beta 0.33, 29% annual volatility, a -31% worst drawdown, and 3 of 8 risk surfaces clear.
↳ Plain EnglishWhat owning it does to a portfolio, what the model votes against, and how often our own calls have been right. Every call is graded when it resolves, and the ones still open stay visible.
A very bad day (EVT)
−11.0%1-IN-200 DAY
Fitted to the tail of the return distribution rather than assuming a bell curve. Size the position so a day like this is survivable.
What it does to a portfolio5-year window
Beyond the tail (ES)1-IN-1,000 DAY
−29.8%
The average loss on a 1-in-1,000 day or worse — deeper in the tail than the 1-in-200 figure above and further than the measured history reaches, so it reads as the scale of a crash, not a forecast of one.
Tail understatementHEAVY TAIL
1.7×
A normal-curve estimate understates this name's worst days by about 1.7×, so volatility alone is the wrong risk measure for it.
Max drawdownWORST FALL
-30.9%
The deepest peak-to-trough fall in the measured window. Only hold a position you can watch do this.
Beta (vs the market)LOW FIT
0.33
The market explains about 0.6% of its daily moves, so this beta says little about how it tracks the index — most of its movement is its own.
3-year beta 0.53
Annualized volatilityORDINARY
29%
How far it swings over a year, from its own realized returns.
Tactical phaseNIGHTLY READ
Neutral
Selling pressure62
Buying pressure0
Overheat0
State: neutral — No dominant short-horizon pressure in the tape.
0-100 · high = active · lit = the engine's own phase, cohort-banded
Ranked by the size of each factor's own point contribution to the net signal — these are the model's stated reasons, not a written bear case. Each one is scored from the source named beside it.
Failure modes · by company type
Data unavailableFailure modes are routed per company type, and only the bank-run and crypto-treasury rulebooks are validated so far. This name routes as unknown, so there is no cohort-specific checklist to run. A generic list would read as analysis without being any.
The risk case · why not to buy8 surfaces · nightly
Suggested position capmax defensible size
1.9%tail cap binds
max defensible size 1.9% - tail binds
Avoid score6-month distress
6.6%0.9× its cohort · thinly-traded small-caps
Observational 6-month large-drawdown risk ranking — not a forecast, not alpha. Historical distress rate for this thinly-traded small-caps segment: 7.5%. This name reads 0.9× that base rate.
LowDistress screenThe distress model did not score this name in the latest run, so this surface is unmeasured rather than clear.Not scored
MedPosition size, not conviction, is the binding constrainthalf-Kelly 22.0% · tail cap 1.9% · category cap 13.7%. The tail cap binds, so 1.9% is the number (n=75,992). We show which one binds rather than the friendliest.Sizing
LowLottery-ticket behaviourIts best 21-day return sits at 3.6% against a 24.2% cohort 90th-percentile threshold — below the line where forward returns have historically turned negative.Behaviour
LowCash runwayNot scored for this name.Not scored
LowPost-earnings driftDrift odds at full strength (+3.21% / 63-day spread reference from measured post-earnings drift).Timing
LowDividend riskNot scored for this name.Not scored
HighRestatement history3 restatements in 2 years. The flagged-company base rate is 6.2× the unflagged one.Integrity
LowCrowded shortNot in a warn state: the crowded-short model only publishes when short interest and thin liquidity coincide, and neither condition is met here.Not scored
Signal
3 of 8 surfaces clear.
8 surfaces checked, 3 clear. The binding constraint is position size — the tail cap is the one that binds. Each row states which surface it is and what it measured; a surface that could not be scored says so rather than counting as clear.
Who should skip it
Skip it if any of these is you
You can't sit through -31%
That is this name's deepest measured fall, on 29% annualized volatility. A drawdown of that size is normal here, not exceptional.
You want income
A 0.79% yield is a rounding error against cash. This is a capital-gains position.
You'd be buying into earnings
A report lands in 41 days.
You'd size it like a core holding
The binding cap is 1.9% of a portfolio. Above that the tail stops being survivable.
Our track record0 resolved
Track recordBUILDING IN THE OPEN
20 logged
20 calls logged on this name, 0 resolved so far. Calls are logged the moment they are made, so the open ones are public before anyone knows how they turn out, and a hit-rate is not published until enough of them resolve.
0 resolved · 20 open
Calls on FFTHIS NAME
20
This name's own call count. Too few have resolved to publish a rate over them, so none is shown rather than a rate over 0.
0610-K disclosed linksSPECIALTY CHEMICALS
The wider context
5 mapped peers, 4 connections.
↳ Plain EnglishCompanies do not trade alone. This is the peer set, the supply chain that has to deliver, and the macro variables that move the stock regardless of company news.
Rate sensitivity
-2.6% per +1ppINSUFFICIENT
This is the SECTOR prior, not a measurement of this name — the regression did not clear its own bar. The verdict beside it (neutral) comes from the prior too, so the two agree by construction rather than by evidence.
Versus peersLatest session
Peer set · 5 names
SymbolRelationshipPriceSession
LINPeer$473.20+0.25%
AIQUFPeer$190.99-0.32%
SHWPeer$331.33-0.44%
ECLPeer$278.95-0.46%
APDPeer$280.20+0.52%
The mapped peer set and how each traded in the latest session. A peer moving with this name says the move is the sector's; one moving against it says the move is this company's.
A slowing economy uses less steel, copper and chemicals.
Typical for the Basic Materials sector
On the day +0.1% · A week later +0.2% · Two weeks later +0.1% · Rose on 78 of 171 report days
Across the last 171 Initial jobless claims reports since Jun 8, 2023, FF moved +0.1% on average on the day and was 0.1% higher two weeks later. The S&P 500 moved 0.0% on those days.
Miners and chemical makers sell raw materials whose prices rise with inflation.
Typical for the Basic Materials sector
On the day -0.1% · A week later -0.3% · Two weeks later -2.0% · Rose on 18 of 39 report days
Across the last 39 Core PCE (the Fed's gauge) reports since Jun 28, 2023, FF moved -0.1% on average on the day and was 2.0% lower two weeks later. The S&P 500 moved +0.2% on those days.
FOMC decisionUsually hurts when the Fed sounds more hawkish than expected
A hawkish Fed lifts the dollar, which makes dollar-priced metals dearer for foreign buyers.
Typical for the Basic Materials sector
On the day -0.5% · A week later -0.7% · Two weeks later -0.7% · Rose on 13 of 39 report days
Across the last 39 FOMC decision reports since Jul 1, 2023, FF moved -0.5% on average on the day and was 0.7% lower two weeks later. The S&P 500 moved -0.1% on those days.
Housing startsUsually helps when more homes are started than expected
Lumber, cement and gravel.
Typical for the Basic Materials sector
On the day -0.1% · A week later +0.9% · Two weeks later +0.2% · Rose on 16 of 39 report days
Across the last 39 Housing starts reports since Jun 20, 2023, FF moved -0.1% on average on the day and was 0.2% higher two weeks later. The S&P 500 moved 0.0% on those days.
Industrial productionUsually helps when factory output comes in stronger than expected
More building and manufacturing means more demand for raw materials.
Typical for the Basic Materials sector
On the day -0.4% · A week later 0.0% · Two weeks later +0.2% · Rose on 16 of 39 report days
Across the last 39 Industrial production reports since Jun 15, 2023, FF moved -0.4% on average on the day and was 0.2% higher two weeks later. The S&P 500 moved +0.1% on those days.
Job openings (JOLTS) is due today.
Job openings (JOLTS)Usually helps when job openings come in higher than expected
A busy economy uses more steel, copper and chemicals.
Typical for the Basic Materials sector
On the day -0.3% · A week later -1.8% · Two weeks later -0.8% · Rose on 21 of 39 report days
Across the last 39 Job openings (JOLTS) reports since Jul 5, 2023, FF moved -0.3% on average on the day and was 0.8% lower two weeks later. The S&P 500 moved 0.0% on those days.
A busy economy uses more steel, copper and chemicals.
Typical for the Basic Materials sector
On the day -0.2% · A week later -1.0% · Two weeks later -0.9% · Rose on 20 of 39 report days
Across the last 39 Jobs report (nonfarm payrolls) reports since Jul 6, 2023, FF moved -0.2% on average on the day and was 0.9% lower two weeks later. The S&P 500 moved -0.1% on those days.
PCE inflation is due tomorrow.
PCE inflationUsually helps when inflation runs hotter than expected
Miners and chemical makers sell raw materials whose prices rise with inflation.
Typical for the Basic Materials sector
On the day -0.1% · A week later -0.3% · Two weeks later -2.0% · Rose on 18 of 39 report days
Across the last 39 PCE inflation reports since Jun 28, 2023, FF moved -0.1% on average on the day and was 2.0% lower two weeks later. The S&P 500 moved +0.2% on those days.
Customer momentumSep 29, 2026
Customer momentumMID
-5.7%
The dependency-weighted trailing return of the customers this company discloses a revenue dependence on. Their tape leads its orders.
1 customers priced · 21-bar window
Lead-lag gapAHEAD OF CUSTOMERS
+3.5%
This company's own move less its customers' weighted move. A wide gap in either direction usually closes.
Disclosed customer dependencies
CustomerRevenue weightWindow returnLast filed
CTVA11.0%-5.7%2019-03-15 · stale
Weights are as disclosed in the filings, so they describe the last reported period rather than today. Historical, point-in-time backtest of a cross-sectional screen (135 months, 2013-2026), gross of trading costs. The equal-weighted base effect is marginal (t 1.84); statistical significance relies on the dependency weighting (t 2.02). Validated on monthly rebalancing; served daily on the same 21-bar horizon. This is a research screen describing a group-level historical spread - not a forecast of any individual stock's return.
Connections4 links · 1 confirmed
Direct connections · 4 edges
CompanyRelationSessionProvenance
CTVA · Suppliersupplier-0.03%Confirmed · 10K
CAT · Suppliersupplier+0.76%Rumored · manual
DD · Customercustomer-0.59%Rumored · manual
BHP · Competitorcompetitor+0.64%Rumored · manual
1 of 4 edges are named in a filing; the rest come from reporting we have not matched to one yet, and are labelled as such.