Insider Buying: H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Director Buys $99,989.35 in Stock

Key Points

• Director Charles Lauber bought 2,005 H. B. Fuller shares for nearly $100,000 at an average price of $49.87, increasing his direct ownership by 148.41% to 3,356 shares.
• H. B. Fuller reported quarterly EPS of $1.52, beating estimates of $1.47, while revenue rose 5.2% year over year to $938.17 million. The company also pays a $0.245 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.0% yield.
• Activist investor Ancora reportedly raised its offer for H. B. Fuller’s BAS unit to approximately $1.2 billion–$1.4 billion, creating potential debt-reduction or shareholder-return opportunities but leaving execution and strategic uncertainty.

H. B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) Director Charles Lauber acquired 2,005 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.87 per share, for a total transaction of $99,989.35. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,363.72. The trade was a 148.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

H. B. Fuller Price Performance

Shares of H. B. Fuller stock traded down $0.23 on Wednesday, hitting $49.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 381,550 shares, compared to its average volume of 673,718. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.82. The company has a market capitalization of $2.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $55.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.25. H. B. Fuller Company has a 1 year low of $46.70 and a 1 year high of $68.63.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.05. H. B. Fuller had a net margin of 5.56% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The business had revenue of $938.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $945.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.26 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that H. B. Fuller Company will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H. B. Fuller Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 30th were given a $0.2450 dividend. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 30th. H. B. Fuller's payout ratio is currently 27.30%.

H. B. Fuller News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting H. B. Fuller this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ancora raises BAS offer: Activist investor Ancora Holdings Group reportedly increased its cash offer for H.B. Fuller’s BAS unit to approximately $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion, with backing from Fortress. A sale at that valuation could provide cash for debt reduction, shareholder returns, or investment in the company’s remaining businesses, while increasing pressure on management to evaluate strategic alternatives. Activist Ancora Raises Bid for H.B. Fuller Building Unit
• Positive Sentiment: Improved earnings and margins: H.B. Fuller reported quarterly earnings above analyst expectations, with EPS of $1.52 versus the $1.47 consensus. Revenue increased 5.2% year over year, and the latest earnings call highlighted margin strength. These results offer support for the company’s operating performance despite revenue coming in modestly below forecasts. H.B. Fuller Earnings Call Highlights Margin Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive but reduced targets: Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, and Citi each lowered their price targets, while retaining buy or overweight ratings. The revisions suggest analysts see upside from current levels but have moderated their expectations. JPMorgan Chase Issues Forecast for H. B. Fuller
• Neutral Sentiment: Board changes: H.B. Fuller appointed former UFP Technologies CEO R. Jeffrey Bailly to its board following Ruth Kimmelshue’s resignation. The change may add relevant leadership experience, although its near-term financial impact is unclear. H.B. Fuller Adds Former UFP Technologies CEO to Its Board
• Negative Sentiment: Strategic uncertainty remains: The BAS proposal is activist-driven and has not been identified as a completed transaction. Investors must still weigh execution, valuation, regulatory, and negotiation risks, while the repeated analyst target cuts indicate ongoing caution about H.B. Fuller’s outlook.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in H. B. Fuller by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,608,006 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $160,854,000 after acquiring an additional 132,558 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in H. B. Fuller during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,203,000. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in H. B. Fuller by 2,694.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 675,765 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $41,681,000 after buying an additional 651,585 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in H. B. Fuller by 43.4% during the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 630,194 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $37,471,000 after acquiring an additional 190,750 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in H. B. Fuller by 36.3% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 513,163 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $31,652,000 after acquiring an additional 136,666 shares during the period. 95.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on FUL shares. UBS Group set a $69.00 price target on H. B. Fuller in a report on Friday, June 26th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of H. B. Fuller from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Raymond James Financial set a $67.00 price target on H. B. Fuller in a research report on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $67.00 price objective on H. B. Fuller in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded H. B. Fuller from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $64.62.

H. B. Fuller Company Profile

H.B. Fuller Company NYSE: FUL develops and manufactures specialty adhesives, sealants and other chemical-based products used in industrial and commercial applications. Its solutions help customers bond, seal, coat and assemble materials across a range of products and manufacturing processes.

The company serves markets including packaging, hygiene and disposable products, construction, transportation, electronics, durable assembly, woodworking, flooring, composites and renewable energy.

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