H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Announces Earnings Results

Key Points

• H. B. Fuller reported earnings of $1.26 per share for the quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate of $1.24.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.235 per share, resulting in an annual dividend yield of 1.6%.
• JPMorgan Chase & Co. has downgraded H. B. Fuller's rating to "underweight," while Robert W. Baird upgraded it to "outperform," reflecting mixed analyst sentiment.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.02, Zacks reports. H. B. Fuller had a return on equity of 11.50% and a net margin of 2.92%.

H. B. Fuller Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE FUL traded down $0.27 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $59.35. 496,742 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 469,180. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.08, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.87. H. B. Fuller has a 52-week low of $47.56 and a 52-week high of $82.39. The company's 50-day moving average is $59.81 and its 200-day moving average is $57.18.

H. B. Fuller Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. H. B. Fuller's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on FUL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on H. B. Fuller from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on H. B. Fuller from $60.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $67.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H. B. Fuller

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FUL. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of H. B. Fuller in the 1st quarter valued at about $101,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of H. B. Fuller by 129.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,218 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of H. B. Fuller by 19.6% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,518 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $452,000 after buying an additional 1,232 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of H. B. Fuller by 382.1% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 20,370 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,225,000 after acquiring an additional 16,145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of H. B. Fuller by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 11,499 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $692,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. 95.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About H. B. Fuller

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.

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