H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Upgraded by Robert W. Baird to "Outperform" Rating

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Robert W. Baird from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $60.00 target price on the specialty chemicals company's stock. Robert W. Baird's price target suggests a potential upside of 10.53% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on FUL. Seaport Res Ptn cut H.B. Fuller from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on H.B. Fuller from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on 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. Finally, Vertical Research lowered shares of H.B. Fuller from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $62.50.

H.B. Fuller Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FUL traded up $0.76 during trading on Thursday, hitting $54.29. 102,901 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 544,748. H.B. Fuller has a 12-month low of $47.56 and a 12-month high of $87.67. The company has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of 23.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $55.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. H.B. Fuller had a net margin of 3.65% and a return on equity of 12.01%. The company had revenue of $788.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $769.55 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that H.B. Fuller will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Celeste Beeks Mastin bought 3,500 shares of H.B. Fuller stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $56.66 per share, with a total value of $198,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $198,310. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On H.B. Fuller

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of H.B. Fuller by 128.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in H.B. Fuller by 731.1% during 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 in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in H.B. Fuller by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 33,058 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,472 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in H.B. Fuller during the 4th quarter worth approximately $266,000. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in shares of H.B. Fuller by 41.2% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 13,700 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $924,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. 95.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.