Zacks Research Upgrades H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) to “Strong-Buy”

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of H. B. Fuller in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of H. B. Fuller from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of H. B. Fuller from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of H. B. Fuller from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of H. B. Fuller from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.86.

H. B. Fuller Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of H. B. Fuller stock opened at $57.02 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.12. H. B. Fuller has a 52-week low of $48.71 and a 52-week high of $68.63. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.41.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. H. B. Fuller had a return on equity of 12.18% and a net margin of 5.29%.The business had revenue of $950.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.83 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that H. B. Fuller will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at H. B. Fuller

In other news, VP Nathan D. Weaver sold 9,561 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.06, for a total value of $593,355.66. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 11,739 shares in the company, valued at approximately $728,522.34. The trade was a 44.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in H. B. Fuller by 5,774.0% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 3,619,751 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $210,995,000 after acquiring an additional 3,558,128 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of H. B. Fuller in the second quarter valued at about $86,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of H. B. Fuller in the second quarter valued at about $29,611,000. S&CO Inc. bought a new position in shares of H. B. Fuller in the second quarter worth about $14,093,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of H. B. Fuller by 85.6% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,034 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.93% of the company’s stock.

Key H. B. Fuller News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ancora Holdings reaffirmed its unsolicited proposal to acquire BAS for approximately $1.2 billion, keeping the possibility of a value-unlocking transaction alive and signaling that the activist shareholder intends to continue pressing H. B. Fuller’s board. Ancora Reaffirms Offer to Acquire H.B. Fuller’s BAS Segment
• Neutral Sentiment: The proposal remains unsolicited, non-binding and contested, so there is no transaction agreement or assurance that H. B. Fuller will sell BAS. The continuing public exchange could lead to further negotiations, shareholder actions or changes to the company’s portfolio strategy. H.B. Fuller rejects Ancora’s $1.2 billion bid for adhesive unit
• Negative Sentiment: H. B. Fuller’s board unanimously rejected Ancora’s offer after reviewing it with independent financial and legal advisers, saying the proposal was not in shareholders’ best interests. The rejection removes a near-term catalyst for cash proceeds or a potential valuation reset and may intensify the activist campaign. H.B. Fuller Board Unanimously Rejects Unsolicited Proposal from Ancora
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate analyst commentary continues to characterize FUL as an attractive value stock, but these assessments are valuation-based and do not resolve the strategic dispute over BAS. Here’s Why H. B. Fuller is a Strong Value Stock

About H. B. Fuller

H. B. Fuller Company, founded in 1887 and headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a global adhesives and specialty chemical solutions provider serving a wide array of industries. The company develops, manufactures and markets adhesive technologies, sealants, polymers and related chemical products designed to enhance product performance, sustainability and manufacturing efficiency.

Fuller’s product portfolio spans multiple market segments, including packaging and converting, general industrial assembly, electronics, transportation, hygiene and construction.