Research Frontiers Incorporated — financial distress indicators
Financial-health summary
Research Frontiers Incorporated's reported numbers place it in the 'Weak' financial-health band (distress score 69/100). The main indicators are cash runway under 12 months, losses in each of the last 3 years and operations consume cash. Independently, the Ohlson accounting model puts its 1-year failure probability at 99% and the market-implied (Merton) default probability is 0.3%. In its favour: cash on hand covers all debt (net-cash balance sheet).
Stress by dimension
Share price — last 12 months
Indicators behind the score
Each red flag shows the evidence from the company’s own filings and the financial or legal principle behind it. Points add to the 0–100 score.
At the current free-cash-flow burn, cash covers ~11 months.
Going-concern standard: management must assess ability to continue for 12 months (ASC 205-40). Runway below that horizon forces dilution, asset sales or default.
Net income negative in 3 of 3 fiscal years.
Persistent losses erode equity and the capacity to absorb shocks.
Operating cash flow negative in 3 of the last 3 years.
A business that cannot fund itself from operations depends on external capital to survive.
O-score 4.73 → model probability 99%.
Ohlson (1980) logit model of 1-year corporate failure; O > 0 (p > 50%) is the original failure cut-off.
Revenue changed -16% year over year.
Falling sales reduce cash available for debt service.
Last price $0.62.
Below the $1 minimum-bid listing standard (Nasdaq Rule 5550(a)(2) / NYSE 802.01C); sustained breach leads to delisting and loss of capital-market access.
Price is -74% from its 52-week high.
For financial firms a share-price run often precedes a deposit or funding run (confidence channel).
Revenue vs net income
Cash generation
Debt vs cash vs equity
✅ Mitigating factors
- Cash on hand covers all debt (net-cash balance sheet).
- Strong current ratio (6.38).
📰 Recent news scan
- Research Frontiers (REFR) Slips 4.59% to $0.68 as Shares Hover Near Key Support - Spring Pattern - https://www.siam.in/Google News · 2026-10-07
- Research Frontiers Incorporated (NASDAQ: REFR) Share Price, REFR Stock News, REFR Share Price & Updates - kalkine.caGoogle News · 2026-10-05
- 12 Information Technology Stocks Moving In Monday's Pre-Market Session - BenzingaGoogle News · 2026-09-21
- Research Frontiers to Report Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results on August 6, 2026 - Quiver QuantitativeGoogle News · 2026-08-03
- We're Keeping An Eye On Research Frontiers' (NASDAQ:REFR) Cash Burn Rate - Simply Wall StreetGoogle News · 2026-06-16
- REFR - FinvizGoogle News · 2026-05-30
⚖️ U.S. legal pathway — Title 11, U.S. Code
Which chapter would apply?
- Chapter 11 — reorganisation. Management usually stays in control as debtor-in-possession; the automatic stay (§362) halts collection; a plan must meet the best-interests test (§1129(a)(7)) and the absolute priority rule (§1129(b)) — creditors are paid before shareholders, who are frequently wiped out.
- Chapter 7 — liquidation. A trustee sells assets and distributes proceeds by statutory priority (§§507, 726).
- Subchapter V (“Chapter 5”) is a fast track for small-business debtors under a statutory debt cap, but SEC-reporting companies are excluded (§101(51D)) — so it rarely applies to listed companies.
What typically triggers a filing
- Payment default or covenant breach lenders will not waive; a debt maturity that cannot be refinanced.
- Auditor going-concern doubt (ASC 205-40 / PCAOB AS 2415) — often itself a default trigger in loan agreements.
- Creditors can force a case with an involuntary petition (§303) if debts are not paid as they come due.
- Delisting after sustained sub-$1 prices or equity deficits cuts off equity funding.
Transactions shortly before filing can be clawed back (preferences — 90 days, §547; fraudulent transfers — 2 years, §548).
Frequently asked questions
What do Research Frontiers Incorporated's financial-health indicators show?
As of 2026-10-08, Research Frontiers Incorporated's public financial data places it in the 'Weak' band with a distress score of 69/100, driven by cash runway under 12 months, losses in each of the last 3 years and operations consume cash. This is a statistical screen of reported numbers — it does not mean the company is insolvent, has defaulted or will enter insolvency proceedings.
What is Research Frontiers Incorporated's financial distress score?
69/100 ('Weak'). Ohlson O-score 4.73 (model 1-year failure probability 99%). Merton distance-to-default 2.73 σ (model default probability 0.3%).
What works in Research Frontiers Incorporated's favour?
Cash on hand covers all debt (net-cash balance sheet). Strong current ratio (6.38).
How are shareholders treated if a company enters insolvency?
In a Chapter 11 reorganisation the absolute priority rule pays secured lenders, then unsecured creditors, before shareholders — so existing shares are usually cancelled or heavily diluted. In Chapter 7 the company is liquidated and shareholders rarely recover anything.
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Methodology
Score = capped sum of rule-based red flags across seven dimensions (liquidity, solvency, profitability, cash flow, sales trend, market signal, news). Ohlson O-score (1980) gives an accounting-based 1-year failure probability; Merton distance-to-default (Bharath & Shumway 2008) gives a market-implied probability. Financial institutions use a capital-based rule set. Recalculated every trading day from the latest filings, prices and news.