H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 672,900 shares, an increase of 10.2% from the May 31st total of 610,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 306,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days.

H.B. Fuller Stock Performance

Shares of FUL opened at $76.20 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $78.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.37. H.B. Fuller has a 52 week low of $64.64 and a 52 week high of $84.31. The stock has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.44.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.09. H.B. Fuller had a return on equity of 13.33% and a net margin of 4.67%. The firm had revenue of $917.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $914.22 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that H.B. Fuller will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H.B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 25th were given a $0.222 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 24th. This is a boost from H.B. Fuller’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. H.B. Fuller’s dividend payout ratio is 30.38%.

Insider Activity at H.B. Fuller

In related news, EVP James J. East sold 22,316 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.27, for a total transaction of $1,746,673.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Zhiwei Cai sold 4,645 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.15, for a total transaction of $349,071.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 30,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,304,324.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James J. East sold 22,316 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.27, for a total value of $1,746,673.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,253 shares of company stock worth $2,669,188 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H.B. Fuller

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its holdings in shares of H.B. Fuller by 2,588.7% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 335,119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $27,282,000 after buying an additional 322,655 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of H.B. Fuller by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 82,273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,645,000 after buying an additional 13,328 shares during the period. Partners Capital Investment Group LLP bought a new position in shares of H.B. Fuller during the 4th quarter valued at $5,598,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of H.B. Fuller by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 45,152 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,600,000 after purchasing an additional 4,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased 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 worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 95.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on FUL. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on H.B. Fuller from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Vertical Research began coverage on H.B. Fuller in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $88.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.75.

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.