H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Sets New 1-Year High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $83.85 and last traded at $82.97, with a volume of 60581 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $82.58.

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $810.42 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $823.04 million. H.B. Fuller had a return on equity of 12.73% and a net margin of 4.13%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share.

H.B. Fuller Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 6th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. H.B. Fuller’s payout ratio is 31.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on FUL shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on H.B. Fuller from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of H.B. Fuller from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Vertical Research assumed coverage on shares of H.B. Fuller in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $88.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of H.B. Fuller in a research report on Friday, January 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Heather Campe sold 3,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.83, for a total value of $265,063.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 19,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,516,316.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other H.B. Fuller news, VP Heather Campe sold 3,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.83, for a total value of $265,063.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 19,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,516,316.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Muhammad Shahbaz Malik sold 14,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $1,067,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 9,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $693,308.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 30,693 shares of company stock valued at $2,353,357 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of H.B. Fuller

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FUL. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in H.B. Fuller in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in H.B. Fuller in the 4th quarter worth about $134,000. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new position in H.B. Fuller in the 4th quarter worth about $236,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new position in H.B. Fuller in the 4th quarter worth about $418,000. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its stake in H.B. Fuller by 90.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 9,700 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $666,000 after acquiring an additional 4,600 shares in the last quarter. 95.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H.B. Fuller Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.52. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $78.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.30.

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 in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, India, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally.