Entropy Technologies LP Invests $581,000 in H. B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL)

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP acquired 10,346 shares of H. B. Fuller Company, valued at approximately $581,000, reflecting growing interest from institutional investors in the specialty chemicals sector.
• Insider selling activity has been notable, with VP Robert J. Martsching selling 9,546 shares for $613,807.80, indicating a 38.92% decrease in his position.
• H. B. Fuller’s stock has shown significant analyst attention, with Robert W. Baird raising its target price from $60.00 to $75.00 and issuing an "outperform" rating.

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in H. B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 10,346 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $581,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in H. B. Fuller by 731.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,255 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 1,104 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of H. B. Fuller during the 1st quarter worth approximately $990,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of H. B. Fuller by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 33,058 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP acquired a new position in shares of H. B. Fuller during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,830,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on FUL shares. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of H. B. Fuller from $60.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of H. B. Fuller from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $67.25.

H. B. Fuller Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FUL traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $58.91. 342,338 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 399,430. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.87. The company has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a PE ratio of 31.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.13. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $58.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.83. H. B. Fuller Company has a 1-year low of $47.56 and a 1-year high of $85.89.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $898.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $894.87 million. H. B. Fuller had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 11.50%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that H. B. Fuller Company will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

H. B. Fuller Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. H. B. Fuller's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other H. B. Fuller news, VP Joao Magalhaes sold 1,099 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.31, for a total value of $61,884.69. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,285 shares in the company, valued at $184,978.35. This trade represents a 25.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Robert J. Martsching sold 9,546 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.30, for a total transaction of $613,807.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 14,980 shares in the company, valued at $963,214. This represents a 38.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,691 shares of company stock worth $734,478 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.99% of the company's stock.

H. B. Fuller Company Profile

H.B. Fuller Company, together with its subsidiaries, formulates, manufactures, and markets adhesives, sealants, coatings, polymers, tapes, encapsulants, additives, and other specialty chemical products. It operates through three segments: Hygiene, Health and Consumable Adhesives; Engineering Adhesives; and Construction Adhesives.