H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $63.33.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of H.B. Fuller from $78.00 to $68.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Vertical Research downgraded H.B. Fuller from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on H.B. Fuller from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on H.B. Fuller from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded H.B. Fuller from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th.

H.B. Fuller Stock Performance

H.B. Fuller stock traded down $1.68 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $52.66. 635,755 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 363,695. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $57.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. H.B. Fuller has a one year low of $51.16 and a one year high of $87.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 22.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.27.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $788.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $769.55 million. H.B. Fuller had a return on equity of 12.01% and a net margin of 3.65%. The business's revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that H.B. Fuller will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

H.B. Fuller Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.2225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 6th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. H.B. Fuller's payout ratio is 44.50%.

Insider Transactions at H.B. Fuller

In related news, CEO Celeste Beeks Mastin acquired 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $56.66 per share, with a total value of $198,310.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 3,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $198,310. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.99% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of H.B. Fuller by 128.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 899 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in H.B. Fuller by 731.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,255 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of H.B. Fuller during the 4th quarter valued at $266,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of H.B. Fuller in the fourth quarter worth $465,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of H.B. Fuller in the fourth quarter worth $783,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.93% of the company's stock.

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.