H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Shares Gap Down - Here's Why

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $67.48, but opened at $61.71. H.B. Fuller shares last traded at $63.21, with a volume of 72,356 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on FUL. StockNews.com cut shares of H.B. Fuller from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on H.B. Fuller from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, H.B. Fuller presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $92.75.

H.B. Fuller Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.41. The company's 50 day moving average price is $73.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On H.B. Fuller

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 324,056 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of H.B. Fuller by 1.5% in the 3rd 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. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its stake in shares of H.B. Fuller by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 71,354 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $5,491,000 after purchasing an additional 5,356 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 26,239 shares during the period. Finally, S&CO Inc. grew its stake 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.