H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,210,000 shares, a decline of 6.2% from the September 30th total of 1,290,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 279,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.3 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in H.B. Fuller by 9.9% during the first 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 during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in H.B. Fuller during the 1st quarter valued at about $79,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in H.B. Fuller by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 88,348 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $6,799,000 after acquiring an additional 2,694 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in H.B. Fuller by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 525,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $40,460,000 after purchasing an additional 7,292 shares during the period. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its position in H.B. Fuller by 8.1% in the second 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 last quarter. 95.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

H.B. Fuller Price Performance

FUL stock traded down $1.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $73.32. The company had a trading volume of 508,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 303,845. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.33. The company has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.41. H.B. Fuller has a 1 year low of $65.04 and a 1 year high of $87.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.16.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.23 by ($0.10). H.B. Fuller had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 5.15%. The company had revenue of $917.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $944.04 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that H.B. Fuller will post 4.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H.B. Fuller Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, October 17th will be given a $0.2225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 17th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. H.B. Fuller's payout ratio is 27.47%.

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.