H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) shares gapped down before the market opened on Thursday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $64.14, but opened at $62.69. H.B. Fuller shares last traded at $62.04, with a volume of 62,875 shares changing hands.

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.00 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $923.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $916.84 million. H.B. Fuller had a net margin of 5.15% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on FUL shares. Vertical Research downgraded H.B. Fuller from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on H.B. Fuller from $78.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.25.

Institutional Trading of H.B. Fuller

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FUL. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its holdings in H.B. Fuller by 79.8% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 730,058 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $57,952,000 after acquiring an additional 324,056 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of H.B. Fuller by 1.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,258,752 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $99,939,000 after purchasing an additional 18,734 shares during the period. S&CO Inc. increased its stake in H.B. Fuller by 0.3% in the third quarter. S&CO Inc. now owns 267,192 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $21,209,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in H.B. Fuller by 9.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 290,005 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $22,319,000 after buying an additional 26,239 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.93% of the company’s stock.

H.B. Fuller Trading Down 2.9 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.99.

H.B. Fuller Company Profile

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.