ARQ Arq, Inc.

Nasdaq Miscellaneous Chemical Products CIK: 0001515156
AI RATING
SELL
78% Confidence

Investment Thesis

Arq demonstrates revenue growth momentum (+10.4% YoY) but is fundamentally unprofitable with deteriorating earnings (-2.9% net margin) and negative free cash flow of -$676K. The company faces critical liquidity constraints with a quick ratio of 0.58x and only $4.7M cash against $30.4M long-term debt, indicating potential cash burn concerns despite modest operating cash flow.

Strengths

  • + Revenue growth of 10.4% year-over-year shows market traction
  • + Conservative leverage with 0.18x debt-to-equity ratio provides capital structure flexibility
  • + Reasonable asset base of $232.1M with stockholders equity of $167.8M

Risks

  • ! Negative free cash flow of -$676K indicates underlying cash burn despite positive OCF, suggesting unsustainable operations
  • ! Critical liquidity pressure with quick ratio of 0.58x and current ratio of 1.02x paired with only $4.7M cash reserves
  • ! Operating losses and deteriorating net income (-$842K) with EPS declining 807% YoY, indicating structural profitability challenges
  • ! Abnormal gross margin of 134.6% raises questions about earnings quality and accounting adjustments

Key Metrics to Watch

Financial Metrics

Revenue
29.1M
Net Income
-842.0K
EPS (Diluted)
$-0.02
Free Cash Flow
-676.0K
Total Assets
232.1M
Cash
4.7M

Profitability Ratios

Gross Margin 134.6%
Operating Margin -3.4%
Net Margin -2.9%
ROE -0.5%
ROA -0.4%
FCF Margin -2.3%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity

Current Ratio
1.02x
Quick Ratio
0.58x
Debt/Equity
0.18x
Debt/Assets
27.7%
Interest Coverage
-1.24x
Long-term Debt
30.4M
Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI based on publicly available SEC EDGAR filings. It does not include stock price data and should not be considered financial advice. All fundamental data is sourced from SEC public domain filings. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.
Data Source: SEC EDGAR | Analysis Date: 2026-05-08T09:09:06.265832 | Data as of: 2026-03-31 | Powered by Claude AI