ROIC % measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. It is also called ROC %. Fuel Tech's annualized return on invested capital (ROIC %) for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was -32.49%.
As of today (2026-06-28), Fuel Tech's WACC % is 14.76%. Fuel Tech's ROIC % is -20.90% (calculated using TTM income statement data).
Fuel Tech earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.
Fuel Tech (NAS:FTEK) ROIC % Explanation
ROIC % measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. It is also called ROC %. The reason book values of debt and equity are used is because the book values are the capital the company received when issuing the debt or receiving the equity investments.
There are four key components to this definition. The first is the use of operating income or EBIT rather than net income in the numerator. The second is the tax adjustment to this operating income or EBIT, computed as a hypothetical tax based on an effective or marginal tax rate. The third is the use of book values for invested capital, rather than market values. The final is the timing difference; the capital invested is from the end of the prior year whereas the operating income or EBIT is the current year's number.
Why is ROIC % important?
Because it costs money to raise capital. A firm that generates higher returns on investment than it costs the company to raise the capital needed for that investment is earning excess returns. A firm that expects to continue generating positive excess returns on new investments in the future will see its value increase as growth increases, whereas a firm that earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital will destroy value as it grows.
As of today, Fuel Tech's WACC % is 14.76%. Fuel Tech's ROIC % is -20.90% (calculated using TTM income statement data).
Fuel Tech earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.
Be Aware
Like ROE % and ROA %, ROIC % is calculated with only 12 months of data. Fluctuations in the company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.
Fuel Tech ROIC % Related Terms
Fuel Tech ROIC % Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Fuel Tech's ROIC % can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Pollution & Treatment Controls subindustry, Fuel Tech's ROIC %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROIC % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Fuel Tech ROIC % vs Industrial Products Industry
For the Industrial Products industry and Industrials sector, Fuel Tech's ROIC % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Fuel Tech's ROIC % falls into.
Note:
The Operating Income data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) data.
The tax rate is limited to between 0% and 100%.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Fuel Tech (FTEK) has a ROIC % of -32.49% as of Mar. 2026. Return on invested capital is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period invested capital. View historical data on Fuel Tech and its competitors.
Is Fuel Tech's ROIC % too high?
Fuel Tech's current ROIC % is -32.49%. Overall, Fuel Tech has a GF Score™ of 57/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Fuel Tech's ROIC % compare to BCHT and SCWO?
Fuel Tech's ROIC % of -32.49% can be compared against companies in the Industrial Products industry. The industry median ROIC % is 5.22. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good ROIC % for an Industrial Products company?
The median ROIC % among Industrial Products companies is 5.22, based on 3,034 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROIC % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROIC % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high ROIC % mean?
A high ROIC % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on invested capital is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period invested capital. View historical data on Fuel Tech and its competitors. For the Industrial Products industry, the median ROIC % is 5.22 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Fuel Tech's current ROIC % is -32.49%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Fuel Tech stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Fuel Tech (FTEK) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $1.13, compared to a current price of $2.15 — trading 90.3% above its estimated fair value. The current ROIC % is -32.49%. Fuel Tech's overall GF Score™ is 57/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is ROIC % calculated?
ROIC % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Fuel Tech (FTEK), the current ROIC % is -32.49% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Fuel Tech (FTEK) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Fuel Tech stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $2.15 is trading 90.3% above its estimated GF Value™ of $1.13.
GuruFocus considers Fuel Tech to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for FTEK:
ROIC %: -32.49%
GF Value™: $1.13 vs. price of $2.15 (90.3% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the FTEK stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Fuel Tech Inc is a technology provider of boiler optimization, efficiency improvement, and air pollution reduction to utility and industrial customers. The company operates in two segments, Air Pollution Control and Fuel Chem. The Air Pollution Control technology segment includes technologies to reduce NOx emissions in flue gas from boilers, incinerators, furnaces, and other stationary combustion sources. The Fuel Chem technology segment uses chemical processes in combination with Computational Fluid Dynamics and Chemical Kinetics Modeling for boiler modeling for the control of slagging, fouling, corrosion, opacity and other sulfur trioxide-related issues in furnaces and boilers through the addition of chemicals into the furnace using TIFI Targeted In-Furnace Injection technology.
57GF Score
Get the complete analysis for FTEK
ROIC % is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
FTEK has been successfully added to your 
