H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $80.63, but opened at $76.20. H.B. Fuller shares last traded at $79.21, with a volume of 114,960 shares.

The specialty chemicals company reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by ($0.10). H.B. Fuller had a net margin of 4.67% and a return on equity of 13.33%. The firm had revenue of $917.93 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $944.04 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis.

H.B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a $0.2225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. This is a positive change from H.B. Fuller's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. H.B. Fuller's payout ratio is 30.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of H.B. Fuller from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th.

Insider Activity

In other H.B. Fuller news, VP Heather Campe sold 23,696 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.66, for a total value of $1,958,711.36. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,631,873.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H.B. Fuller

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of H.B. Fuller during the 1st quarter worth $79,000. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new stake in H.B. Fuller during the fourth quarter worth about $236,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in shares of H.B. Fuller in the 4th quarter worth about $738,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its position in shares of H.B. Fuller by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 11,353 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $924,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of H.B. Fuller by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 45,152 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,600,000 after buying an additional 4,077 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.93% of the company's stock.

H.B. Fuller Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $81.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.58. The company has a market cap of $4.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.42.

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.