H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Short Interest Update

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) was the target of a significant 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 trading volume, of 306,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days.

H.B. Fuller Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:FUL opened at $76.33 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.16 billion, a PE ratio of 26.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.44. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $78.01 and its 200 day moving average is $78.42. H.B. Fuller has a 12 month low of $64.64 and a 12 month high of $84.31.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $917.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $914.22 million. H.B. Fuller had a net margin of 4.67% and a return on equity of 13.33%. H.B. Fuller’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that H.B. Fuller will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

H.B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 25th were given a dividend of $0.222 per share. This is a positive change from H.B. Fuller’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 24th. H.B. Fuller’s 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other H.B. Fuller news, VP Nathan D. Weaver sold 7,292 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.64, for a total transaction of $573,442.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,803 shares in the company, valued at $377,707.92. 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 stock in a transaction on Monday, April 8th. The shares were 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,253 shares of company stock worth $2,669,188. Company insiders own 1.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in H.B. Fuller in the first quarter worth $79,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new stake in H.B. Fuller in the fourth quarter worth $134,000. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new stake in H.B. Fuller in the fourth quarter worth $236,000. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its stake in H.B. Fuller by 90.2% in the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 9,700 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $666,000 after purchasing an additional 4,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in H.B. Fuller in the fourth quarter worth $738,000. 95.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Vertical Research started coverage on H.B. Fuller in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $88.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on H.B. Fuller from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.