/
General: As used herein, we, us, our, the Company or Research Frontiers means Research Frontiers Incorporated unless otherwise indicated. Research Frontiers operates in a single business segment which is engaged in the development and marketing of technology and devices to control the flow of light (see Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).
$0.55
+$0.02 (+3.77%)
EOD Jul 17, 2026
The business is unprofitable at the operating level (-190.16% margin). The thesis depends entirely on whether and when it reaches sustainable profitability.
Revenue declined 16.0% YoY. Margins deteriorated 82.2pp alongside, both lines moving the wrong way.
ROIC dropped from -29.64% to -56.14%, capital efficiency is deteriorating. Negative free cash flow of -$1M. The business is consuming cash, not generating it.
Based on TTM earnings · Diluted shares
Profitability & Returns
Revenue (TTM)
$698K
▼ -16.0% YoY
Net Income (TTM)
-$2M
▼ -56.0% YoY
Op. Margin
-347.24%
▼ -82.2pp YoY
ROIC
-71.27%
▼ -26.5pp YoY
Cash Flow & Balance Sheet
FCF (TTM)
-$1M
▼ -68.2% YoY
Op. Cash Flow (TTM)
-$1M
▼ -68.5% YoY
Net Debt
-$149K
Net Cash Position
Cash & Equiv.
$1M
5Y CAGR: +6.2%
Continue Research
Research Frontiers (REFR)'s valuation is best read against its own history, its peers, and the growth its price implies. A high multiple is not the same as overvalued: fast-growing, high-quality businesses can deserve a premium. See the general approach in how to tell if a stock is overvalued.
On quality, Research Frontiers scores 36/100 on Intrinsiqq's quality scorecard (a lower-quality business on these measures), weighing growth, margins, returns on capital, share count, and balance-sheet strength. All figures are computed from SEC filings; read the full . This is analysis, not investment advice.
Research Frontiers scores 36 out of 100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score, a weighted blend of 6 metrics each scored 0 to 100, which makes it a lower-quality business on these measures. Recent fundamentals include a -347.2% operating margin and a -71.3% return on invested capital. The score weighs revenue and free-cash-flow growth, operating margins, return on invested capital, share-count change, and balance-sheet strength, all computed from SEC filings, not opinion. Because valuation only means something relative to quality, the full metric-by-metric breakdown is on the quality scorecard.
That depends on valuation and quality together, not either alone. you should weigh REFR's valuation and scores 36/100 on quality (lower-quality). A cheap price is only a bargain if the business is durable, and a premium can be justified by genuine quality, so the two questions, "is it cheap?" and "is it good?", only make sense side by side. Read the valuation against the quality scorecard, run the DCF on your own assumptions, and decide for yourself. This is analysis from SEC filings, not investment advice.