FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF) is one of many companies seeking to develop economically viable biofuels. That’s been a tough problem to crack, but with a variety of different products encompassing both biofuel and specialty chemicals, FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF) hopes to come up with successful commercial applications to serve multiple industries. Let’s take an early look at what’s been happening with FutureFuel over the past quarter and what we’re likely to see in its quarterly report on Monday.
Stats on FutureFuel
| Analyst EPS Estimate | $0.19 |
| Change From Year-Ago EPS | (27%) |
| Revenue Estimate | $82.2 million |
| Change From Year-Ago Revenue | (5.1%) |
| Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters | 3 |
Source: Yahoo! Finance.
Will FutureFuel fuel investor profits this quarter?
Analysts have reduced their calls on FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF) over the past few months, reducing their earnings-per-share figure for the just-ended quarter by a penny and cutting 2013 estimates by $0.08. The stock, though, has done well, rising more than 17% since mid-December.
Over the years, alternative fuels have drawn a lot of excitement from investors seeking to take advantage of high oil and gasoline prices. Yet the traditional ethanol industry has suffered from rising crop prices, with revenue growth having come to an abrupt halt at Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) during 2012 after seeing its sales jump nearly 20-fold from 2008 to 2011. Even well-established player Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) has seen ethanol capacity utilization plunge as the drought last year has greatly reduced corn inventories.
Yet FutureFuel has the benefit of having two main businesses. In addition to its biodiesel business, it also produces custom chemicals for use in personal care products and detergents as well as herbicides. Solazyme Inc (NASDAQ:SZYM) has tried to follow that same playbook by marketing its algae-based oils not just for energy but also personal care. FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF), however, has consistently turned a profit for its efforts, with partnerships with consumer-products giant The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) helping it keep its earnings up. Moreover, FutureFuel even pays a dividend, yielding more than 3%.
In its quarterly report, watch for FutureFuel to discuss its future plans to try to broaden its revenue base. For now, though, the company is doing a good job of making the most of its opportunity.
The article FutureFuel Earnings: An Early Look originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Dan Caplinger.
Fool contributor Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow him on Twitter @DanCaplinger. The Motley Fool recommends Procter & Gamble. The Motley Fool owns shares of Solazyme.
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