H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Lifted to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Friday morning.

H.B. Fuller Stock Up 1.4 %

FUL stock opened at $85.66 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $80.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.26. The company has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.44. H.B. Fuller has a fifty-two week low of $64.64 and a fifty-two week high of $87.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.89.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $917.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $914.22 million. H.B. Fuller had a net margin of 4.67% and a return on equity of 13.33%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that H.B. Fuller will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current year.

H.B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.2225 per share. This is a boost from H.B. Fuller’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. H.B. Fuller’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at H.B. Fuller

In related news, VP Heather Campe sold 23,696 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.66, for a total transaction of $1,958,711.36. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,631,873.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H.B. Fuller

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of H.B. Fuller in the first quarter worth $79,000. Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new position in shares of H.B. Fuller in the 4th quarter valued at $236,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in shares of H.B. Fuller during the 4th quarter worth $738,000. Wesbanco Bank Inc. purchased a new position in shares of H.B. Fuller in the 1st quarter worth about $773,000. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its stake in shares of H.B. Fuller by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 11,353 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. 95.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.