H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Stock Breaks Below Fifty Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• H. B. Fuller shares slipped below their 50-day moving average of $50.69, touching $49.86; the stock’s 200-day average is $57.88.
• Analyst views remain mixed: the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with a $62.88 price target, though UBS and Citigroup recently lowered their targets.
• In its latest reported quarter, the company beat earnings estimates with EPS of $1.52 versus $1.47 expected, while revenue fell short of forecasts despite growing 5.2% year over year.

Shares of H. B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) crossed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $50.69 and traded as low as $49.86. H. B. Fuller shares last traded at $50.6390, with a volume of 284,431 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on FUL shares. Wall Street Zen cut H. B. Fuller from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on H. B. Fuller from $69.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Zacks Research lowered H. B. Fuller from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings cut H. B. Fuller from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on H. B. Fuller from $75.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.88.

H. B. Fuller Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $50.69 and a 200-day moving average of $57.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion, a PE ratio of 14.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.97.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $938.17 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $945.59 million. H. B. Fuller had a net margin of 5.56% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The company's revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that H. B. Fuller Company will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H. B. Fuller Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 15th were given a dividend of $0.2450 per share. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 15th. H. B. Fuller's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Trangsrud Teresa J. Rasmussen acquired 2,042 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.96 per share, with a total value of $99,976.32. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 4,053 shares in the company, valued at $198,434.88. This trade represents a 101.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael J. Happe acquired 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $49.62 per share, for a total transaction of $99,240.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 3,343 shares of the company's stock, valued at $165,879.66. This represents a 148.92% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 13,061 shares of company stock valued at $646,340 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.83% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H. B. Fuller

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of H. B. Fuller by 38.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 917 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in H. B. Fuller by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,381 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,256,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in H. B. Fuller by 85.6% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,034 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in H. B. Fuller by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 16,874 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,041,000 after buying an additional 699 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in H. B. Fuller in the 2nd quarter valued at $86,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.93% of the company's stock.

H. B. Fuller Company Profile

H.B. Fuller Company is a global specialty chemicals company focused on developing and manufacturing adhesives, sealants and other specialty products. Its solutions are used in applications including packaging, disposable hygiene products, construction, electronics, transportation and consumer goods. The company serves customers across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific, supplying products for both industrial and consumer-facing applications. Founded in 1887 in St. Paul, Minnesota, H.B. Fuller has grown from a regional business into an international manufacturer.

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