Premier Fund Managers Ltd Sells 221,694 Shares of H. B. Fuller Company $FUL

Key Points

• Premier Fund Managers Ltd sold 221,694 shares of H. B. Fuller in Q4, reducing its stake by 27.4% to 587,185 shares (about 1.08% of the company) and making FUL its 12th-largest position (2.0% of the fund).
• H. B. Fuller beat EPS estimates with $0.57 versus $0.56 but missed revenue expectations at $770.84M, with revenue down 2.3% year-over-year.
• H. B. Fuller raised its quarterly dividend to $0.245 (annualized $0.98, ~1.6% yield), and CEO Celeste Beeks Mastin bought 5,170 shares at about $57.08, increasing insider ownership to 1.83%.

Premier Fund Managers Ltd decreased its stake in shares of H. B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL - Free Report) by 27.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 587,185 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 221,694 shares during the quarter. H. B. Fuller makes up 2.0% of Premier Fund Managers Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Premier Fund Managers Ltd owned 1.08% of H. B. Fuller worth $35,449,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in H. B. Fuller during the 4th quarter valued at about $268,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its holdings in H. B. Fuller by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 38,495 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,289,000 after buying an additional 2,613 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in H. B. Fuller by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 7,639 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $454,000 after buying an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in H. B. Fuller during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in H. B. Fuller by 35.0% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,108,261 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $65,897,000 after buying an additional 287,390 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.93% of the company's stock.

H. B. Fuller Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE FUL opened at $60.96 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $60.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.46. H. B. Fuller Company has a 52 week low of $48.71 and a 52 week high of $68.63.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $770.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $787.77 million. H. B. Fuller had a net margin of 4.62% and a return on equity of 11.84%. H. B. Fuller's revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.54 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that H. B. Fuller Company will post 4.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H. B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.245 per share. This is a boost from H. B. Fuller's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. H. B. Fuller's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on FUL. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of H. B. Fuller from $66.00 to $63.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of H. B. Fuller from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, March 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of H. B. Fuller in a report on Friday, January 16th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of H. B. Fuller from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of H. B. Fuller from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.50.

Insider Activity at H. B. Fuller

In other news, CEO Celeste Beeks Mastin acquired 5,170 shares of H. B. Fuller stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $57.08 per share, for a total transaction of $295,103.60. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 8,670 shares in the company, valued at $494,883.60. The trade was a 147.71% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

H. B. Fuller Profile

H. B. Fuller Company, founded in 1887 and headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a global adhesives and specialty chemical solutions provider serving a wide array of industries. The company develops, manufactures and markets adhesive technologies, sealants, polymers and related chemical products designed to enhance product performance, sustainability and manufacturing efficiency.

Fuller's product portfolio spans multiple market segments, including packaging and converting, general industrial assembly, electronics, transportation, hygiene and construction.

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