H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Director Michael Happe Purchases 2,000 Shares of Company Stock

H. B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL) Director Michael Happe acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $49.62 per share, for a total transaction of $99,240.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,343 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $165,879.66. This trade represents a 148.92% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

H. B. Fuller Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FUL traded up $0.69 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $50.16. The company had a trading volume of 631,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 677,302. H. B. Fuller Company has a 12 month low of $46.70 and a 12 month high of $68.63. The stock has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.01, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $55.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.21.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $938.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $945.59 million. H. B. Fuller had a net margin of 5.56% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that H. B. Fuller Company will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current year.

H. B. Fuller Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 30th were issued a $0.2450 dividend. This represents a $0.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 30th. H. B. Fuller’s dividend payout ratio is 27.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup decreased their price target on H. B. Fuller from $75.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of H. B. Fuller from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of H. B. Fuller from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. UBS Group set a $69.00 price target on shares of H. B. Fuller in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of H. B. Fuller from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, H. B. Fuller has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.62.

Key Headlines Impacting H. B. Fuller

Here are the key news stories impacting H. B. Fuller this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ancora increased its cash offer for H. B. Fuller’s building adhesives unit to as much as $1.4 billion. The higher bid, reportedly backed by Fortress, improves the prospects for a value-enhancing transaction and increases pressure on H. B. Fuller’s board to consider strategic alternatives. Ancora raises bid for H.B. Fuller building unit
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple directors made sizable open-market purchases. Directors Srilata Zaheer, Charles T. Lauber, Teresa Rasmussen, Daniel L. Florness and Thomas W. Handley collectively bought approximately $500,000 of FUL shares at prices ranging from $48.96 to $49.87. The purchases substantially increased their individual holdings and may signal confidence that the shares are undervalued. H. B. Fuller insider purchase filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results were mixed but fundamentally supportive. H. B. Fuller reported adjusted earnings of $1.52 per share, above the $1.47 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 5.2% year over year to about $938 million but fell short of expectations. Analysts expect approximately $4.83 in full-year earnings per share.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains a counterweight. JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank have issued cautious or pessimistic outlooks for FUL, reflecting concerns about valuation and the company’s operating outlook. Such views could limit gains if the potential asset sale does not progress. Deutsche Bank forecast for H. B. Fuller

Institutional Trading of H. B. Fuller

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in H. B. Fuller by 5.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,608,006 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $160,854,000 after buying an additional 132,558 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of H. B. Fuller during the 4th quarter valued at $44,203,000. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of H. B. Fuller by 2,694.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 675,765 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $41,681,000 after acquiring an additional 651,585 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of H. B. Fuller by 43.4% during the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 630,194 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,471,000 after acquiring an additional 190,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of H. B. Fuller by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 513,163 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $31,652,000 after acquiring an additional 136,666 shares during the last quarter. 95.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About H. B. Fuller

H.B. Fuller Company is a global manufacturer of adhesives, sealants and specialty chemical products. Its solutions are used to bond, seal, protect and assemble materials in commercial and industrial applications, including packaging, hygiene products, construction, transportation, electronics and durable goods.

The company offers products such as hot-melt, water-based and reactive adhesives, construction adhesives, sealants, coatings and specialty formulations. H.B. Fuller serves manufacturers, contractors and other commercial customers that require bonding and sealing solutions for products, components and building materials.

Founded in 1887 by Harvey Benjamin Fuller, the company has grown from a regional adhesive producer into an international supplier serving customers across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.