H. B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Seven analysts give H.B. Fuller a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" (breakdown: 1 sell, 2 hold, 3 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 1‑year price target of $65.50.
• Recent results: the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.57 (beating by $0.01) while revenue of $770.8M missed expectations and fell 2.3% year‑over‑year; the stock trades near $63.83 with a P/E of about 21 and a market cap of roughly $3.48B.
• Insiders and shareholder returns: CEO Celeste Beeks Mastin bought 5,170 shares at ~$57.08, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.235 (annualized $0.94) for a yield of about 1.5% and a payout ratio near 31%.

H. B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $65.50.

FUL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of H. B. Fuller in a report on Monday, December 29th. Vertical Research raised H. B. Fuller from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of H. B. Fuller in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen raised H. B. Fuller from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, March 29th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on H. B. Fuller from $66.00 to $63.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 27th.

H. B. Fuller Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FUL opened at $63.83 on Friday. H. B. Fuller has a fifty-two week low of $48.71 and a fifty-two week high of $68.63. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $61.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.04. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.05.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.01. H. B. Fuller had a net margin of 4.62% and a return on equity of 11.84%. The business had revenue of $770.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $787.77 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that H. B. Fuller will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

H. B. Fuller Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. H. B. Fuller's payout ratio is presently 31.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Celeste Beeks Mastin purchased 5,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $57.08 per share, with a total value of $295,103.60. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 8,670 shares of the company's stock, valued at $494,883.60. This trade represents a 147.71% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.83% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H. B. Fuller

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bayban purchased a new position in H. B. Fuller in the 4th quarter worth about $156,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in H. B. Fuller by 510.8% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,466 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in H. B. Fuller in the 4th quarter worth about $204,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in H. B. Fuller by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 152,960 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $9,095,000 after purchasing an additional 2,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in H. B. Fuller by 92.7% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 7,433 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 3,575 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.93% of the company's stock.

H. B. Fuller Company 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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