H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

H.B. Fuller Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of FUL traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $79.19. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 171,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 316,853. H.B. Fuller has a 52 week low of $64.64 and a 52 week high of $87.67. The stock has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $79.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $917.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $914.22 million. H.B. Fuller had a return on equity of 13.33% and a net margin of 4.67%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that H.B. Fuller will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H.B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be given a $0.2225 dividend. This is a boost from H.B. Fuller’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. H.B. Fuller’s payout ratio is presently 30.38%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Heather Campe sold 23,696 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.66, for a total transaction of $1,958,711.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,631,873.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H.B. Fuller

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its stake in shares of H.B. Fuller by 2,588.7% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 322,655 shares during the period. Partners Capital Investment Group LLP purchased a new stake in H.B. Fuller in the fourth quarter worth about $5,598,000. Wesbanco Bank Inc. bought a new position in shares of H.B. Fuller during the first quarter valued at approximately $773,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in shares of H.B. Fuller during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $738,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of H.B. Fuller by 1.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 525,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,460,000 after purchasing an additional 7,292 shares during the last quarter. 95.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.