H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $64.14, but opened at $62.69. H.B. Fuller shares last traded at $62.04, with a volume of 62,875 shares trading hands.

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.00 by ($0.08). H.B. Fuller had a net margin of 5.15% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The company had revenue of $923.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $916.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FUL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Vertical Research cut H.B. Fuller from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of H.B. Fuller from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, H.B. Fuller currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $90.25.

Institutional Trading of H.B. Fuller

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. S&CO Inc. raised its holdings in H.B. Fuller by 0.3% during the third quarter. S&CO Inc. now owns 267,192 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $21,209,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of H.B. Fuller by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 290,005 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $22,319,000 after buying an additional 26,239 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its holdings in H.B. Fuller by 79.8% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 730,058 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $57,952,000 after acquiring an additional 324,056 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in H.B. Fuller by 1.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,258,752 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $99,939,000 after acquiring an additional 18,734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.93% of the company's stock.

H.B. Fuller Trading Down 2.9 %

The company has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

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.