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

Key Points

• Shares of H. B. Fuller carry a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from seven analysts, with an average 12‑month price target of $65.50 and several recent upgrades/target increases (e.g., Citigroup to $70).
• The company posted quarterly EPS of $0.57, narrowly beating estimates ($0.56) while revenue missed at $770.8M (down 2.3% YoY), and it raised the quarterly dividend to $0.245 (annualized $0.98, ~1.6% yield).
• CEO Celeste Beeks Mastin bought 5,170 shares at about $57.08, increasing her stake by 147.7%, a notable insider purchase signaling confidence in the stock.

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

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FUL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of H. B. Fuller in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded H. B. Fuller from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 29th. Citigroup upped their price target on H. B. Fuller from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on H. B. Fuller from $66.00 to $63.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Vertical Research raised H. B. Fuller from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th.

H. B. Fuller Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FUL opened at $60.96 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $60.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.46. H. B. Fuller has a fifty-two week low of $48.71 and a fifty-two week high of $68.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 26th. 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 return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.62%.The firm had revenue of $770.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $787.77 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.54 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that H. B. Fuller will post 4.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H. B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be paid a $0.245 dividend. This is an increase from H. B. Fuller's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $0.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. H. B. Fuller's payout ratio is presently 32.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other H. B. Fuller news, CEO Celeste Beeks Mastin acquired 5,170 shares of H. B. Fuller stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $57.08 per share, with a total value of $295,103.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 8,670 shares in the company, valued at $494,883.60. This trade represents a 147.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FUL. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in H. B. Fuller by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 578 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in H. B. Fuller by 22,833.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 688 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in H. B. Fuller by 432.9% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 778 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in H. B. Fuller in the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new position in H. B. Fuller in the third quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.93% of the company's stock.

About H. B. Fuller

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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