H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 672,900 shares, a growth of 10.2% from the May 31st total of 610,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 306,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

H.B. Fuller Trading Down 0.5 %

H.B. Fuller stock traded down $0.37 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $76.21. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 183,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 314,326. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.44. H.B. Fuller has a 1-year low of $64.64 and a 1-year high of $84.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.89. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $78.02 and its 200 day moving average is $78.38.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $917.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $914.22 million. H.B. Fuller had a net margin of 4.67% and a return on equity of 13.33%. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that H.B. Fuller will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

H.B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 25th were given a dividend of $0.222 per share. This is a boost from H.B. Fuller’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 24th. H.B. Fuller’s payout ratio is presently 30.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Vertical Research began coverage on H.B. Fuller in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $88.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on H.B. Fuller from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Zhiwei Cai sold 4,645 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.15, for a total transaction of $349,071.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,663 shares in the company, valued at $2,304,324.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other H.B. Fuller news, EVP Zhiwei Cai sold 4,645 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.15, for a total transaction of $349,071.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,304,324.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Nathan D. Weaver sold 7,292 shares of H.B. Fuller stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.64, for a total transaction of $573,442.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,707.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 34,253 shares of company stock valued at $2,669,188. 1.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its stake in H.B. Fuller by 2,588.7% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 335,119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $27,282,000 after buying an additional 322,655 shares in the last quarter. Partners Capital Investment Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of H.B. Fuller during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,598,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in H.B. Fuller by 19.3% during the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 82,273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,645,000 after purchasing an additional 13,328 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. acquired a new position in H.B. Fuller in the first quarter worth $773,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in H.B. Fuller during the fourth quarter valued at $738,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.93% of the company’s stock.

H.B. Fuller Company Profile

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.